Sonic's Legacy: Volume 2: Genesis Rising
by StoryWolf
Summary: Our young hero is growing up, and the war is growing with it. As she meets new allies and the Mobian Freedom Fighters reunite with old friends, they will also meet even greater odds and peril…and it's not just from the Exus alone.
1. Chapter 18: Tracking Shadows

_**Sonic's Legacy: Volume 2**_

_**Genesis Rising**_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sonic or the characters from Sonic Team or Sega. Though some of these characters were created by me, the basic style and likeness of these characters originated from the creators of the Sonic comics and Sonic games, as well as the companies Sonic Team and Sega. Thank you and enjoy this unofficial story.

Keep in mind that this is the second Volume of the first book. If you are new to the story and have just found this story, you might want to read the first volume first. (Links don't work in here as I have found out. ^^; So, it's called Sonic's Legacy: Volume 1, The Hero's Child. You can find it at my profile :D

For those of you that have stayed with me since before the changing from one story to volumes thanks for sticking with me through the chaos :D You guys are the best :D

(Note: All the reviews from before the change are still in the first volume.)

For those of you that are returning readers from the first volume, I won't keep you waiting any longer.

Enjoy :D

* * *

_**Chapter 18: Tracking Shadows**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

Two years later…Near Former Station Square…

The Station Square Freedom Fighters have been exploring the old bases surrounding their area for months, trying to find clues as to where G.U.N.'s militia have disappeared to. If they couldn't find them, the least they could do was find materials and weapons they desperately needed to keep the Exus robots away from their camp.

Trace was now twelve years old and now, his teammates as well as himself, were old enough to become vital members on base raid missions. For the leader of Former Station Square, having a member with Trace's unique skills could seriously give them an advantage against the Exus.

The team made it to their destination. Valor kept his gun in position, in case of an ambush. Since every one of the bases were filled with traps, it took a really long time to disable them just to allow entrance into the bases. Luckily for them, the prep team had already disabled the trap at the entrance. However, once inside, the team will be on their own.

The komodo dragon gave the signal that it was clear and Caper leapt forward first. The wallaby gave a swift kick into the door and it fell back with a loud crash. He then flipped and landed several feet away.

Valor then looked back at Trace. "Okay kid, your turn."

Trace walked forward till he was just a few feet away from the entrance. He then knelt down and placed his hand on the soft ground. The wolf closed his eyes.

After channeling the gift passed down to him from his ancestors, Trace's eyes sprang open revealing bright glowing irises. "All traps at the entrance are disabled…There are a few more still active inside, but nothing we can't handle."

"What kind of traps?" Valor asked.

Trace focused again, his vision traveled deeper into the base. "The guillotine wall is the closest, triggered by a loose stone about thirty paces in… After that is a laser grid, one shock should disable it though…"

Caper crossed his arms and smirked. "Heh, easy eh? Sounds like trouble to me, mate."

"At least we know what to expect though, good job Trace." Rain congratulated.

Trace's golden eyes stop glowing for a moment as he turned to his teammates. "Don't thank me yet. We still have get through safely." Trace's eyes glowed again as he channeled his energy. "Follow my steps exactly, I'll let you know what to watch out for."

Caper and Rain nodded.

Valor gave the command. " 'Right team, lets move in."

The team runs into the base. Trace counts each step they take to make sure they don't miss the first trigger…the thirtieth tile. _"Twenty…twenty-five…now!" _As everyone leaps over the tile at the same place Trace does, the wolf's foresight suddenly picked up something and he stopped. "Caper! Your tail!"

Just as Trace said that, Caper's tail just barely touched the tile, causing it to trigger the guillotine wall.

Right when he heard Trace's warning, Valor ran back and grabbed Caper just in time before the sharp bladed wall fell.

Trace's eyes were wide, the only thing that could be seen in the darkness. "You alright?"

" 'old on." The wallaby grabbed his tail and was relieved to find that it was still there. "Whew, thanks mate. That was a close one."

Both Trace and Rain let out a huge sigh. Trace's golden eyes were then drawn toward the direction ahead. When Trace is seeing the past or future, it's all in the same space as they are in. So, often times, Trace has to filter out what is happening in that instant and what is a part of his vision. When he is in this state, it is like whatever he is foreseeing is calling to him, drawing him toward a destination. And the biggest risk to using this ability…is that Trace's mind could possibly be lost to his vision…if he tries to use it beyond his ability to control it.

That's why he made sure that someone kept tabs on him to keep him grounded to this timeframe, kind of like an anchor. Today…that anchor was Rain. "Trace…you still with us?"

Trace looked behind him and nodded to acknowledge that he heard her, he then continued with what he was going to say. "The laser grid is just ahead."

The team readied themselves and ran on ahead. Trace then stopped a few feet ahead and moved his arm in front of the group to stop. "Wait!" The wolf then took a bold step forward, triggering the trap. The laser grid lit up the hall in a bright red light. The laser wall then slid forward toward the group, leaving them no way to escape.

A metal bracer on Trace's wrist sparked and the wolf leapt forward and right at the base of the lasers sent a shock flowing into the ground. The shock blew the circuits in the defense grid and the lasers dimmed. He landed safely unscathed. He then turned to his comrades. "We're good."

The group continued forward until they got to the first room. It was the war hanger where all the weapons, robots, and planes were stored. Well, it's where they would be…if they were still there. Now it was just a massive, empty room.

"Whoa…" Caper looked around surprised. "When those blokes cleared out, they really cleared out, eh?"

"Yeah, it certainly looks like it." Rain added, clearly as surprised as Caper.

Valor caught up with the young troups. "Just like the first two bases Vault and I checked out…empty." Vault is Caper's father and is the guy that Valor normally went on missions with, but Vault was off training other new recruits like what Valor was doing right now with these three.

"They were here…" Trace answered, his eyes still glowed as he looked around. He was trying to pinpoint the day in time they had left, he wanted to see how it happened. "…at least as recent as six years ago."

"Six years ago…the day that Surge X returned?" Rain asked.

"Bingo." Valor answered.

" 'ow could every machine in 'ere just disappear like this?" Caper, along with everyone else was trying to figure this out.

"I'm not sure…but I intent to find out." Trace said as he took a few steps forward.

"Be careful, you don't wanna push yourself." Rain said worryingly.

Trace gave her a slight nod and continued forward. The other's followed close behind. Trace looked around, using his foresight to find anything unusual.

"See anything yet, kid?" Valor asked as he looked around.

While all the others could see was an empty room, Trace was watching years of mobilizing robots and planes in fast forward time frame. "Looks pretty normal so far…" He then saw something to his left and slowed the vision's time around him. "Wait!"

His keen eyes picked up what looked to be a Mobian flying into one of the hanger's upper floors. _That's strange…what's a Mobian doing in a human military base?_

The wolf then ran to the left and then jumped up on the wall, he then pushed off and landed on the floor under where he saw the ghost from his vision enter.

"Trace wait!" Rain called to him.

The others made it to the platform under Trace and he yelled down for them to hear. "A Mobian was here six years ago, I'm gonna check it out." The wolf then leapt up to the next platform and dashed down the hall.

"Not without back up he's not." Valor mumbled and then leapt up to follow Trace. The others followed their leader in pursuit.

Trace ran to the end of the hall and saw the Mobian stopped by the exit. Even though the vision couldn't see him, instinctively Trace hid around the corner. He leaned over just enough to get a better view.

The others caught up to Trace and stopped at the corner.

Rain was the first to say something. "Are you crazy? Why did you run off just now?"

Trace quietly shh'd Rain and focused his ears toward the Mobian in his vision. Rain realized that he found something and kept her voice down low. "What is it?"

Trace spoke in a hushed tone, he didn't want to speak too loud and miss any vital information. "A bat…female."

"Really? How can you tell?" Rain asked curiously, it was really dark in there.

"Her outfit…it's pretty obvious."

"She's hot, isn't she?" Caper spoke out.

Trace's eyes widened and he lightly blushed, Rain whipped around and gave Caper a 'what the hell' look. Caper simply shrugged his shoulders. "What?"

Trace leaned even further around the corner. He caught sight of the bat's blue eyes as she looked back. _She looks like she's…worried about something…_

Suddenly, the bat jumped out the exit and took off. Hoping not to lose her, Trace ran around the corner. He instantly stopped at the edge when he realized that the floor was at least forty feet from where he was. He looked around to see where she could've gone. His eyes guided him to the left and he saw her land on the ground and run into another room.

_Well now I know where she went…_

He looked down at the daunting task that laid before him.

_Now, how the heck am I suppose to get down there?_

Trace brought his vision back to reality and his eyes stopped glowing. He almost fell backward, but caught himself on the wall.

Rain saw this and ran to Trace's side. "You okay?"

Trace shook his head to bring himself back into focus. "Y-Yeah…I'm good."

Caper looked over the edge and whistled. "That's a long way down."

Valor turned to Caper. "Think you can jump that, kid?"

The wallaby in question gave him a confident smirk. "Whadaya kiddin'? O' course I can." His gaze then returned to the drop. "…but…don' know if y'all will be so lucky, mates."

Rain then thought of something. "I have an idea. Trace, you stay here and recover. Caper, you come with me." Rain then ran back down the hall where they came from and turned the corner.

Caper then ran after her. "Y' got it, Sheila."

The two jumped down platform to platform and Rain made a b-line for the nearest plane rigging. She grabs the thick metal cable. "We can use this."

Caper walked up to the cable and grabbed it firmly in his hands. "Allow me."

Rain stepped back and Caper pulled on the line. He then swung himself up so that he was above the rigging line in the air. The wallaby swiftly kicked the pulley at the top and broke the line loose. He gracefully landed on the platform. "There y' are." Caper handed the cable to Rain.

"Thanks, nice work." Rain congratulated and then the two quickly returned to Trace and Valor.

Rain showed the cable to Valor. "We can use this and zip-line down to the ground."

Valor gave her a satisfied grin. "Good plan."

Rain noticed Trace stood up. "Feeling better?"

Trace crossed his arms and gave her a nod, "Yep."

The painted wolf then turned to Caper. "Okay, when you land on the ground safely, tie this to something sturdy and pull it tight."

"No Prob." Caper smiled and without hesitation leaped out of the doorway and gracefully landed on the ground forty feet down. He then ran over to one of the support columns and tied the metal cable and held onto it, pulling it till it was taut.

Rain jumped up first and slid down the top of the wire. She gracefully landed on the other side.

"Nice" Caper complimented. Rain returned his compliment with a smile.

Trace swiftly followed in the same manner and also landed easily. He then grabbed the end of the wire behind Caper.

Caper looked up at Valor and hollered. "Kay boss, yer' up!"

The dragon grabbed the line with one hand and slid down. He jumped off a few feet from the floor. Both Valor and Trace let go of the line.

Trace went right back to tracking and his eyes glowed. He ran toward the doorway he saw the bat enter and ran right in, the others followed close behind.

Trace made it to the end of the hall and could see the bat had encountered another Mobian. This new intruder was different though, it was cat-like with golden-reddish brown fur and black markings on the tip of it's tail and on it's arms stopping just below it's shoulders. Trace was trying to listen in on their conversation, he was still too far away from them to hear them clearly.

The tone of the cat's voice told Trace that it was a male as he overheard. "Did you find them?"

"No…" The bat answered out of breath.

"Me either." The cat looked like he was on edge, like something was lurking in the shadows around them.

The bat shivered, but quickly shook it off. "I just don't understand, how could G.U.N. accuse Shadow? He would never…" She trailed off for a moment to regain her composure.

"I don't know, but the important thing is that we have to stay calm." He kept looking behind him, he then turned back to the latter. "This place is too big for just the two of us to cover. We're gonna need some help. What about those friends of yours, can you get a hold of them?"

"Sure, but they're in the Mobian Mountain region. It'll take them at least thirty minutes to get here if not longer than that."

"Give them a call anyway. I think we can stall for at least that much time."

Suddenly the cat's ears rotated back toward what was one of the large hanger doors entering into the room. "Rouge, get down!"

In that instant, the hanger door bubbled and blew apart sending debris and shrapnel in every direction. Though Trace wasn't really in this timeframe, he could still hear the deafening sound generated from the blast and it forced the wolf to cover his ears. Not wanting to miss what was happening, Trace didn't take his eyes off of the scene ahead. He had to keep reminding himself what he was seeing had already happened and any of the stray pieces of mangled metal were not going to hit him.

The two Mobians were blown back toward the far wall. The cat grabbed Rouge to shield her from the blast and slid back first on the metal floor. They both looked toward where the blast came from.

A massive G.U.N. issued robot walked in and aimed it's missiles directly at them, threatening to fire. A voice was heard from the loud speaker in the craft. "Stealth Ocelot and Rouge Bat…"

Regaining his resolve, the ocelot leapt up and stood in front of Rouge, defending her. The mech pilot continued, "For conspiring with the rogue agent, Shadow, you are both under arrest."

"Oh really?" Stealth smirked and unsheathed his claws at the end of his finger tips. " 'Cause as I recall, you and your squad attacked _us_ first."

"Last warning, stand down!" The pilot's voice was becoming very shaky over the intercom.

"Now, you have two choices. 'A', _you_ stand down and leave. Or 'B', I mess up that fancy paint job." Stealth's eyebrows creased forward toward the end of that threat.

The mech fired, but Stealth jumped back and the bullets just missed his feet. The ocelot then swiftly grabbed Rouge and moved her away from the mech's firing range, which was just a few feet from where Trace stood. Stealth looked back at Rouge, "Stay here."

He then rushed back out into the open. The mech shot frantically, only managing to graze Stealth's shoulder. The wild cat didn't stop or slow down, but instead leapt into the air and unsheathed his claws that came out of slits in his shoes. He dug the claws into the cockpit of the mech and looked in at the pilot. "Wrong answer." He then broke the glass, shards flew in all directions outward instead of inside the cockpit.

Stealth's plan was to frighten the pilot into abandoning the cockpit, but instead the pilot pressed a button with his trembling hand. The glass dome of the cockpit began to slide backward, with Stealth's claws still attached. The wild cat retracted his claws, but the momentum from the glass dome pushed him toward the back of the robot. Refusing to give up, he swiftly dug his claws into the metal.

The pilot tried to shake Stealth off of the mech. "Let Go!"

But the ocelot didn't budge, he started tearing at the metal to get to the wires in the back of the mech.

In a desperate attempt to stop Stealth, the pilot rammed the back of the mech into the iron wall. A loud yell was heard and it echoed off the walls to where Trace stood. The wolf looked around the corner and saw what had happened. Stealth had flipped up at the last second, saving himself from being crushed. But he wasn't able to get his left arm out the way in time and it was broken and wedged between the mech and the wall.

"Stealth!" Rouge yelled and took a couple steps from where she was.

"No! Stay there!" Stealth yelled.

She stopped and looked in disbelief as one of the guns on the mech turned and faced the pinned wild cat.

Luckily for him, the gun was within his range and Stealth kicked it so that the barrel of the gun faced the ground and it shot and hit the mech's leg, causing it to move slightly and release Stealth's arm. He used his good arm to pull himself up so that he was facing the front of the cockpit. He then lifted both feet and landed one on the pilot's shoulder and the other right by his head. With the momentum from both the blast and Stealth's kick, the mech went crashing down to the metal floor. The pilot was knocked out from the force. Stealth stood on top of the mech for a second, trying to catch his breath. He then unsheathed his claws and swiftly cut off one of the pilot's sleeves, without leaving a single scratch on the human.

Rouge flew toward him as the cat wrapped his arm with the torn sleeve. "You're hurt."

Stealth held a part of the cloth in his mouth and pulled it tight, he grunted through his teeth. "Not the first time."

He then leapt off of the mech effortlessly. "Now, back to business. You give your friends a call and search this level for Shadow, Ill check the upper level."

"What are you nuts? You can't climb up there, not one handed!"

"Wow, how long has it been? Ten years and you know nothing about me, really?"

"Let me check the upper level, I can fly."

"You've already been flying for an hour, you're exhausted." Stealth then took his good arm and reached into his boot, he then took out a gold coin. "Lets make this fair, we'll flip for it."

The bat crossed her arms and gave him an untrusting look. Stealth saw this and nearly laughed. "What, you don't trust me?"

"You are an ex thief."

Stealth gave her an 'oh really' look. "So were you." He then flicks the coin into the air. "You call it."

"Tails."

The coin falls back down and Stealth catches it with his good hand. He opens it and reveals the coin's choice. "Heads." He places the coin back in his boot.

Rouge sighed and shook her head. She still didn't like the idea of Stealth searching the rafters.

Stealth gave her a reassuring look before taking off. "Don't worry love, I got this. Call me if you get into any trouble." He then leapt effortlessly onto the first platform and used his good arm to grab onto a metal bar. He then swung himself up to the next platform. It was obvious that the wild cat had the skill to handle this even one handed.

Now convinced that Stealth was alright, Rouge flew a little ways toward the back of the hanger, she then ran into one of the air ducts and disappeared.

The wolf suddenly felt someone shaking his shoulder. "Trace! Snap out of it!"

Trace's vision was suddenly brought back to the current timeframe and he shook his head to bring himself back into focus. He looked behind him and saw Rain's worried look.

She realized that he noticed her and she sighed with relief. "Thank Chaos."

"Man mate, I've never seen ya zone out like that before." Caper added.

"How long?" Trace asked as he pressed his hand against his forehead. Sometimes if he used his insight for too long, it gave him migraines.

His teacher answered. "Rain's been tryin' to get your attention for five minutes."

"Sounds about right." Trace mumbled.

"Why don't we take a break while you tell us what happened." Valor suggested.

Caper stretched, "Sound's good to me." Both Valor and Rain glance at Caper for a minute, they then both shook their heads and returned their attention to Trace.

Trace tells them everything that he saw, from Rouge meeting with Stealth, to the fight that took place between the wild cat and the G.U.N. mech.

Valor was leaning against the metal wall of the hall. He closed his eyes as he pieced together what Trace had just told them. "So…Rouge the Bat and Stealth the Ocelot."

"You knew them?" Rain asked curiously.

"Pfft, more like _know _them. They're still around." Valor continued to explain. "Rouge used to be a jewel thief, she then later became a spy for G.U.N. And Stealth was a thief for hire."

"Ya mean, someone paid the bloke to steal stuff?" Caper asked.

"Yep, he was originally from the Cat Country, but something brought him here to Station Square."

"He was helping Rouge when I saw him." Trace added.

"As I said before, he _was_ a thief. Chaos only knows what he's doing now." Valor rolled his eyes at the thought.

"Well…" Trace stood up and looked back at his teacher. "Who should we follow, Rouge or Stealth?"

"Follow the bat, we'll more than likely find more answers with her." Valor answered.

Trace nodded and then dashed forward, "This way." He ran into the entrance to the air duct that Rouge had taken and stopped. He had already figured that the air duct would be too small for Valor to get through. Caper might fit, but it would still be too close to tell. Trace's eyes glowed for a moment as his insight guided through the air duct. He tracked down where Rouge exited and turned to his comrades. "The air duct exits in the room on the other side of this wall."

"On it." Valor then slashed at the metal, cutting a way through into the next room.

Trace shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, that works." He hopped out of the vent and ran through the hole in the wall, the others followed.

In the next room, Trace only saw one exit. It was a security door and it was closed tight. Trace walked over to the control panel and gently took one of the exposed wires. The metal bracer on the wolf's wrist sparked and he brought the wire to meet it. In that instant, the door was activated and opened up with a reluctant rusted groan.

It was one of the old supply rooms. This was one of the vital places the group had been looking for.

"Wahoo! Yes, we found it!" Caper cheered.

"Look at all this…" Rain was going through boxes. "Spare parts, medical supplies…"

While the others were distracted, Trace walked out of the room. He was still thinking about what he saw and heard earlier in his vision. _Who was Shadow? Why was the G.U.N. militia after him for? Rouge sounded sincere that whoever Shadow was did nothing wrong, so why?_

Curiosity got the better of him and he used his insight to see if he could find the answer. Years seemed to flow by him for a second, then he saw something that caught his attention. A dark figure was running up in the rafters.

The wolf ran and leapt from platform to platform until he reached one of the beams. He followed the dark figure across the beam and into one of the air ducts. The air duct led him into a long hallway. He looked around, wondering where the stranger had disappeared to.

Trace then picked something up out of the corner of his eye. He ran and followed turns the corner and sees the dark figure standing in the hall with his back turned away from him. Trace walked closer, but then the figure swiftly turned and looked straight at him, his piercing red eyes gleaming.

_What? He can see me? _The wolf was taken aback by this, he was only _looking_ into the past…this vision shouldn't even acknowledge that he was even there.

The dark hedgehog took a few bold steps toward him, then suddenly broke into a run.

"Shit!"

Trace activated his shock gloves and braced himself for the attack. But the two just passed through each other…that was when Trace noticed that it wasn't him the vision was looking at…it was the robot right behind him. The dark hedgehog jumped up and rammed into the red robot head on.

Trace recognized it from one of the old files he read. It was one of Eggman's old robots… "…Omega."

He watched as the two fought against each other in the hall. Again the wolf had to remind himself that the stray blasts of gun fire and bolts of lightning would pass through him, leaving him unharmed.

The battle between the two was intense. Both seemed equally matched though the black hedgehog seemed to be the one holding back. Omega then shot the hedgehog with a powerful beam and it blew him through the iron wall.

"Chaos Spear!" A massive bolt of lightning flew into the small hallway and hit the robot dead on, but Omega pushed himself from the wall and out of the hole into the next room.

Trace attempted to follow, but he felt something grab hold of his shoulder holding him back. His thoughts came back to reality once more and he turned around. His golden eyes met two sapphire irises. "Don't run off like that again, it freaks me out!"

Trace gave a light smile to his worried friend. "Sorry Rain, don't know what came over me."

"You saw something again, didn't you?"

The wolf let out a sigh. "Yes. Left more questions than answers though." Trace starts walking back the way he came. "I'll have to ask Claymore about it when we get back."

Rain nodded. "Right, lets meet back with the others. They're waiting for us."

The two take off back down the hall. Trace looked back one last time, but then swiftly turned the corner. They caught up to Valor and Caper and the group ran toward another door. The group runs in, but as the others continued forward, something caught Trace's eye and he stopped. Noticing that Trace wasn't following, the others stop.

Rain looked back worryingly. "Trace, what is it?"

"Another trap?" Caper added.

"No…" Trace answered and then walked over toward the wall. The Exus emblem was written on the wall.

Valor looked and was slightly shocked by it. "The Exus emblem? What's that doing down here?"

There was something bothering Trace about it as well. It seemed odd, like someone had painted over whatever was written behind it. "What on Mobius…"

The wolf took is hand and began rubbing off the rusted, peeling paint. What it revealed sent a shiver down his spine and he heard the others gasp behind him. Under the black paint…was the G.U.N. emblem.

* * *

Author's Notes: ...O o...Yikes! Talk about crazy huh?

Next Chapter, we'll get to see how much Nikki has grown in two years and meet some new characters and old friends :)

For Update information, check profile :)


	2. Chapter 19: Results, Part 1

Yay! My first two-parted Chapter! XD

Thank you so much to all that have reviewed on the last chappy :)

It's probably way too late to mention this, but there is a blood warning in this story and some scenes may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

(And I will add this warning to the beginning of the story too for new readers.)

So, here's Chapter 19 Results Part 1

Enjoy! :)

* * *

_**Chapter 19: Results: Part 1**_

* * *

_**Narrator: none, third person format.**_

"Alright Nikki, lets try it with a green Chaos Drive this time." Knuckles then threw the Chaos Drive into the air and the familiar blue hedgehog caught it when it was within reach.

Nikki was now eleven years old. She hadn't grown that much in all that time, maybe just an inch. When it came to her skills however, it was a different story. Now she was able to run the course in New Albion so easily she could run it with her eyes closed. What she hasn't tried yet, was using a Chaos Drive while running the course.

Her great-uncle Charles was readying the laptop for another go. The data they had gathered so far was nothing short of amazing. Nikki could almost run half the course at more than the speed of sound. She had difficulty keeping that speed however, only able to use it for at least thirty seconds at a time. The highest they've clocked her swift movements so far were up to 920 miles an hour! Her brief moments of running so fast that she disappeared however, still couldn't be calculated by the equipment.

She placed the Chaos Drive in her quills and took her place at the starting point. As Charles watched the loading bar on the laptop, Nikki began drawing on the energy in the Chaos Drive. A bright green glow began to surge all around her.

"Ready…" Charles called out.

Like when she used the gold Chaos Drive before, her spikes began to change slightly, they were drawn together into a point toward the center quill. She knelt down and readied herself for the start off.

"GO!"

The blue hedgehog launched herself from the platform and rushed onto the course. She looked like nothing more than a blue blur. Suddenly, the energy from the Chaos Drive charged up even more and an emerald glow surrounded her. The sound of a sonic boom rang out and echoed off the cavern walls.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we just hit the sound barrier." Charles smiled.

"Now lets just see how long she can keep it up." The echidna stated.

The emerald-sapphire blur zipped through the course at blinding speed. She passed through the first loop so quickly that it was barely seen by the two onlookers. She then past by the first cork-screwed section of track with ease. The next part of the track was a doubled loop. It almost looked like a pretzel on it's side. At the end of the last part of the loop was a ramp. Nikki darted and weaved her way through the complicated twists and turns like a pro and launched herself from the ramp to the other half of the track.

Charles and Knuckles hear someone calling out from the entrance to the training area. "Professor Charles!"

The elder hedgehog glanced in the direction of voice. It was a young lynx carrying books and files. "I got the data for the-!"

Suddenly, Nikki comes in swiftly down the track right by him. His blondish-white fur blew forward as the wind threatened to carry him, as well as his paperwork, along with it. "Whoa! What was that?"

As Nikki started coming to the side turn that would bring her back to the starting point, the track felt like it broke from under one of her feet. "Uh oh, Whoa!"

Because she was running so fast, she had no time to recover and she went reeling off the track crashed right into the unsuspecting lynx. Both kids went crashing into the shallow water.

"Oh shit, Nikki!" Knuckles slid down the hill and Charles followed.

The lynx sat up and rubbed the back of his head.

Nikki was the one to fully recover first and realized that she ran into the poor boy. "Oh crap, I am so sorry. Are you okay?"

He looked up and saw two emerald irises looking right at him. "Yeah, I think so. What the hell hit me?"

"Um…I did." The hedgehog was really hoping she didn't give the guy a concussion or something.

The lynx's eyes opened wide. "Wait that-" He looked behind him at the track for a second, he then looked back at the young hedgehog. "That was you?"

Nikki nodded.

"That's incredible! How on Mobius can you run that fast?"

Nikki was about to answer when Knuckles and Charles arrived. "Are you kids alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine." The young lynx said as he brushed himself off. He then turned to Nikki. "How about you, you okay?"

"Yep." Nikki simply smiled.

Both adults sighed with relief.

Knuckles then looked back at the track and whistled. "Well that part of the track is shot."

"Not surprised, it must be about twenty years old at least." Charles added.

The lynx stood up and looked curiously at the track. "I don't think that it's the track Professor. Don't forget, it was made by Ancient Echidnian technology. It wouldn't break down so easily. My hypothesis would be that the friction from-" He suddenly stopped and smiled. "I'm sorry, how rude of me…" He then turned to the young hedgehog that was giving him a slightly confused look. He took his brown hat off and bowed. "I'm Gyro Lynx. Um…may I ask you your name?"

She smiled, "Nikki." It was slightly surprising to her, Gyro didn't strike her as someone who would be scientific in the least.

"You were saying?" Knuckles interrupted.

"Oh yes." Gyro put his hat back on and cleared his throat. "My guess would be that be that Nikki was running so fast that it caused the track to give way underneath her…" A puzzled look came over him. "But that would be impossible, she would have to be running at a speed excessing a thousand one hundred and twenty six miles per hour."

Everyone's eyes seemed to widen as the boy spoke, well except Charles who seemed to be smiling at Gyro's deduction.

"Charles, who is this kid?" Knuckles asked slightly confused.

"Gyro is one of my students from New Albion University. Although recently I've taken him under my wing as my apprentice."

"Yeah, so that's why he sounds like you." The echidna chuckled.

"So, you really think I was running that fast?" Nikki asked Gyro curiously.

"Well, the evidence shows it. But like I said, no one can run that fast." He then rubbed the back of his head and looked back at the track. His voice was sincerely confused. "I'm still trying to convince myself that that was you running on that track in the first place."

"Oh really?" Nikki said giving him a confident smirk. She then jogged out of the water and turned around. She took the green Chaos Drive out of her quills and threw it to Knuckles. "Hey Knux, catch!"

Knuckles caught the drive with no trouble.

She then gave Gyro confident look as she fixed her gloves. "Try not to blink."

The hedgehog lightly jogged to the starting point.

Knuckles shook his head and chuckled. "You shouldn't have called her bluff, kid."

Nikki took off from the starting point and dashed around the course. This proved much easier for her without the Chaos Drive, though she wasn't going quite as fast. She disappeared for a brief moment at the end of the double loop then appeared in the air between the ramp and the rest of the track. Then a sonic boom rang out and she dashed though the second half of the course. She deliberately missed the hole in the track she had tripped on earlier and then dashed though the final leg of the track. She past the finish line and skidded to a stop.

Gyro was completely astounded by what he had just witnessed.

The hedgehog turned and looked at the surprised lynx behind her and crossed her arms. She then gave him a smirk. "Well, how was that?"

Knuckles laughed a little at the young lynx's expression. Realizing he lost his composure, Gyro shook himself off. "Impressive."

At that, Knuckles laughed out loud. Suddenly, the echidna's communicator rang from his quills. He reached behind his head, pulled out the communicator and answered. "Hello…Yeah, hold on." Knuckles then turned to Charles and the kids. "I gotta take this, be right back." He walked until he was far enough away from the others' earshot.

Nikki and Gyro shot each other confused looks, but Nikki quickly shrugged it off.

The echidna quickly walked back toward the group. "Okay, thanks…bye." He then turned off the communicator and looked at Charles. "That was Tails, he said that Seth picked up a massive energy surge not far from here."

Charles thought for a second. "Could be coming from the old Eggman lab nearby."

"Does he think it's a Chaos Emerald?" Nikki asked curiously.

Knuckles shakes his head. "No, he said it's not Chaos Energy."

Charles gave a slightly confused look. "Hmm, now that's odd."

The echidna continued. "Should be checked out, regardless."

"I completely agree with you." The professor concurred.

Meanwhile, as the adults spoke, the teenage lynx thought out loud. "A base that doesn't run on Chaos Energy…"

The young hedgehog next to him heard him and looked at him. "What are you thinking, Gyro?"

"I don't know…it could be a number of things. There's such a wide variety of energy sources that could be used for power. If the Exus army is behind this, we can rule out that they wouldn't use any green alternatives to energy, not when Chaos Energy and nuclear toxins from the Radioactive Zone is available."

Knuckles was starting to listen in on the kids' conversation and interrupts. "Whoa, wait a minute, back up. You mean to tell me that they could use the toxins from the Radioactive Zone to power their factories?"

"It is plausible. It's very old technology however, it would be difficult to reconstruct. An easier solution would be to just create a cycling current with Chaos Energy…the real question is why change their energy source in the first place?"

"Hmm…" Knuckles thought for a second, he then looked to the professor. "Charles…"

The hedgehog in question looked at him, waiting for what he was about to ask him.

"We really need to check this out, but I need an expert in this tech stuff to know what I'm looking for."

Charles nodded. "Fine by me, but that's his decision if he wants to go."

"Gyro, will you accompany Nikki and I on this mission?"

Gyro smiled, "I'd be honored."

* * *

The place where Seth had picked the signal up was just barely on the border of the Station Square Freedom Fighter's territory. Not only would they have to keep an eye out for the Exus robots in the area, many rogues and thugs roamed this area. The small group reached their destination and took positions at two separate locations. Nikki and Gyro to the east of the base, and Knuckles to the west.

A curious look came over Nikki as she peeked over the rubble. "Hmm, no guards."

"Yeah, why doesn't that make me feel better?" Gyro gave a slightly nervous look behind him.

"Relax, Knux and I have your back." Nikki reassured.

Suddenly, Knuckles' voice came in on Nikki's communicator. "Hey kids, how's it lookin' on your end?"

"Pretty boring, no robots in sight." The hedgehog answered.

"Yeah, same here. You go ahead in, but be careful, I'll cover you. Gyro, you stay back until I say so."

"You got it." The lynx agreed. He really didn't have much fighting experience, so staying out of the fray was the best thing for him.

Quick as a flash, Nikki dashed from behind the rubble toward an overturned car. It was apparent to Gyro that this wasn't the first mission she had been on. The hedgehog was on full alert, paying close attention to everything around her as she moved forward. Just like the others, there was one thing on her mind…_Something's not right_, _this is way too easy._

Knuckles stood on top of one of the wrecked apartment buildings and looked around, taking advantage of the wide field of view. Using his cybernetic eye, he scanned the further distances as well as under the ground, making sure that the two kids wouldn't be walking into a trap. And he found…absolutely nothing.

_Okay, now this is weird. _Knuckles thought to himself. He then turned on his communicator, "All clear, but keep your eyes open."

Gyro thought for a second. _Now that's odd, not even a single trap? Better check the door._

The teenage lynx rushed from the rubble and caught up to Nikki by the base entrance. He then reached into his satchel and took out a strange device that looked like a small black box with wires attaching to each side.

"What is that?" Nikki asked, looking curiously at the homemade contraption.

"I call it a shock box, it sends a small shockwave into the building disabling anything electrical on the inside."

"Awesome."

The lynx readjusted the wires and then looked at his comrade. "You might wanna step back."

Gyro quickly placed the black box on the metal door and then jumped back. Nikki stayed for a second but as soon as she felt the static energy surge up, something forced her back. The ground rumbled as one swift pulse of air blew in all directions.

The lynx then took the shock box off of the door and gently placed it back in his satchel. "Okay, it should be safe to go in now."

"I like how you said 'it should be'." Nikki gave him a smirk.

Gyro didn't quite get what she meant. "What, are you nervous?"

Nikki laughed a little. "What are you kidding? I'm ready for whatever jumps out at us."

Gyro smiled, he was glad that Nikki was confident about going in…because he sure wasn't. Now that he was sure it was safe to, Gyro examined the door.

Nikki stood a little bit further away from the doorway, tapping her foot lightly.

"Hmm, now lets see…this looks like it's gonna be hard to get through."

The impatient hedgehog rolled her eyes and walked back a few steps as Gyro continued.

"Maybe if we had a laser or something-" Suddenly, Nikki extended her spikes and then spun. Sparks flew as she hit the corner of the massive door. Gyro almost jumped out of his fur when Nikki collided with door. "Whoa!"

She spun faster, creating more friction between her spikes and the door. As soon as it was hot enough, the metal gave way and Nikki jumped back to where she started. She then ran and kicked at the weak point she just created. The door fell back in on itself and collapsed.

"Well, hehe…that works." Gyro laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. He had no idea that Nikki was able to use her spikes to cut though solid metal.

Knuckles jumped down from the apartment building and met the kids. "Okay, stay close and stay focused."

Both kids nodded and the group ran into the dark long hallway. The light from Knuckles' right eye lead the way, but there was a subtle glow coming from the piece of a Chaos Emerald around Nikki's neck. They make it to the entrance to the hanger room of the base. They looked cautiously around the corner, it was so dark that it was hard to believe that anyone would be working in there…but there were. From what Knuckles could pick up on his scanner, there were jet-like robots coming in from the other hanger door. Other robots were in the hanger readying at least ten more for take off.

"This looks like a standard, G.U.N. base." Gyro pointed out quietly.

"Yeah, but it looks like it's under new management now." Knuckles stated as he looked at his two charges.

Nikki was the only one out of the two that couldn't see in the dark. Knuckles was using the night vision feature in his cybernetic eye and Gyro, being a lynx, was naturally able to see pretty well with no light. She wasn't worried about it though, she knew she just had to wait for her eyes to adjust and she could hear the metal freaks from a good enough distance to get by anyway.

"It looks like they're not using any energy to power lighting in the base. They must not need it to see." This was some new information for Knuckles. The Freedom Fighters haven't explored much on the inner workings of the Exus robots and their bases. With this new development, this meant that the robots didn't need to depend on light to see.

"Now the real question is, if they're not using the power for the lights, what _are _they using that extra power for?" A part of Gyro was trying think of what the Exus robots would be doing that required massive amounts of power, but another part of him didn't want to think about it.

Knuckles scanned around the hall, looking for a way to get around the robots in the hanger. "There's an air vent up there near the corner."

"On it." Nikki leapt up, pushed herself from the wall and then spun. She hit the vent head on and the metal twisted and broke, allowing safe passage into the vent.

"Kay kid, you're next." Knuckles looked down at the lynx next to him. Gyro leapt up and jumped into the vent with no trouble. Knuckles followed close behind. Surprisingly, the vent was actually large enough even for Knuckles to stand up and move freely in the vent. The group made their way quickly through the shaft and stopped at the grate blocking their exit. By this time, Nikki's eyes had adjusted to the darkness around her and she was able to look through the grate and see everything that was happening below them.

Knuckles scanned the hall below, "All clear."

Being still much shorter than Knuckles, Nikki jumped up, spun and plowed into the grate. The grate fell to the metal floor with a loud crash, the hedgehog landed effortlessly on the ground. She listened and waited for minute, making sure that none of the metal heads heard the sound that was now echoing off the walls. She looked up and gave her two comrades a thumbs up. "Good to go."

Knuckles jumped down and Gyro followed close behind. As they started to walk down the hall, something caught the teenage lynx's eye. They were pipes near the ceiling about six inches in diameter. "Wait a minute."

Nikki and Knuckles stopped and looked back at the lynx.

The hedgehog was the first to speak out. "What's up, Gyro?"

The lynx in question looked suspiciously at the pipe. "This isn't G.U.N. issued piping."

"Um, kid…" Knuckles gave him a confused look. "I think we've already established that this is an Exus base."

"I know that, but it _used_ to be." Gyro reached into his satchel. "This pipe shouldn't be here."

He then took out a pocket laptop out of his satchel and loaded up a program. Nikki looked over Gyro's shoulder curiously, but still kept her ears open in case something snuck up on them.

After the data was collected, Gyro got his answer. However, he wasn't very excited about the result. "Yep, just as I thought. There's radioactive energy flowing though the pipes."

Noticing that both Knuckles and Nikki instinctively took a step back, Gyro reassured them. "Don't worry, the radiation can't get to us from here." He then re-examined the pipes. "What ever type of metal alloy the pipes are made of is keeping it inside."

Both Nikki and Knuckles simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good." Nikki breathed.

"Yes, but now we know that they are using radiation to power their equipment." The echidna added.

"But that's just it…" Gyro said in a slightly confused tone. "I also used my remote scanner on the robots in the hanger earlier. They're using Chaos Drives to keep them going."

"That's right, every single rust bucket we've fought always had a Chaos Drive." Nikki remembered.

"Which means that they're still using _this_ energy source for something different." Knuckles concluded.

"Something big…and primitive. Judging by the amount of energy that's flowing through these pipes right now." The lynx added as he put away his pocket laptop in his satchel.

The echidna nodded. "Right, so lets keep moving."

The three ran to the end of the hall. Knuckles just barely noticed one robot coming right toward them, though it looked like it didn't notice he was there…that is, until Knuckles backed up against the wall and hit one of the old access panels with the back of his head.

A robotic voice sounded from the panel behind him, "Access Denied."

Hearing the sound breaking through the silence, both Nikki's and Gyro's eyes widened.

"_Shit!" _Knuckles cursed.

Knowing full well that the robot around the corner heard that, all three of them doubled back and ran in the opposite direction.

"Way to go, Knucklehead!" Nikki shouted over the sound of laser beams and bullets hitting the walls.

Knuckles was about to say a comment back to the young hedgehog, but noticed that she swiftly turned around, jumped up, pushed herself off of the ceiling and landed both feet right into the robot's face, damaging the lasers.

The echidna followed suit and landed one swift punch and plowed the robot into the wall. He was about to deal the final blow to the robot's weak point behind it's visor when a loud screeching sound blared from the robot's mouth. The ear piercing sound echoed off the walls and caused the three of them to cover their ears.

"_What the hell is that?" _Nikki tried to yell over the noise, but she couldn't even hear herself over it.

"_A distress signal!" _The young lynx answered. He was still able to hear Nikki because his ears were incredibly sensitive, but it was also a downside because in the midst of all the noise he felt like he was about to pass out.

Knuckles managed to fight his way through the sound and finished the robot off, ending the sound wave.

Both kids moved their hands away from their ears, but Gyro almost fell and managed to catch himself. "Ugh…thank Mobius. I thought my head was going to explode." Just then his ears twitched as they picked up something else. "Uh no."'

Just then, three more robots showed up. They looked different than any other Exus bot that they faced. They were slender, like the higher ranked ones, but seemed to move in such a way that was unnatural.

Nikki forced herself to recover and spun. She tried to hit the first one, but it simply dodged her. "What the-!" Before she even knew what hit her, she was pinned against the wall with enough force to bend the metal frame behind her.

"Nikki!" Knuckles rushed in to try and free her, but the second robot jumped in front of him. He tried to find a way past it, but the robot moved like a cobra ready to strike it's victim. The robot then plowed the echidna into the floor.

The last of the strange robots rushed past Nikki and Knuckles toward the defenseless lynx.

"Gyro!" Nikki called out.

The lynx didn't run, he knew it was pointless to. Instead he nervously braced himself for the attack. _I hope this works._

He then shouted, "Etavitca, Shield!"

At that instant, a round thick metal shield formed around Gyro's crossed arms as the robot's strong metal arm came down on it.

Nikki and Knuckles looked shockingly at Gyro, "What the hell?"

Sparks flew as Gyro used the mysterious shield to block every move. Realizing that Gyro was fine, Nikki managed to free herself from her robotic attacker and fought back with incredible force. The robot ran into the robot holding down Knuckles and displaced it's footing, giving Knuckles the opportunity to push the robot back and kick it into the wall.

Gyro gave another command, "Disable!"

As Gyro jumped back, his shield disappeared. The robot charged in to attack. Then Gyro yelled, "Set!"

It all happened so fast that no one caught it but Nikki's fast eyes. She just barely caught a glimmer of specks that surrounded the robot that was in front of Gyro. Whatever they were, it appeared that these specks were what Gyro was commanding at will. At that split second, Gyro gave the next command. "Break!"

The robot suddenly began to short circuit in mid leap and almost crashed into the lynx, but he leapt out of the way just in time and the robot ran head first into the wall and shut down.

"Esae ta." Gyro had his back against the wall, trying to catch his breath. Feeling like his legs would give out from under him, he allowed himself to slide down to the floor. Nikki and Knuckles ran to the lynx.

The hedgehog was the first to ask, "Gyro, you okay?"

"Y-yeah, a little freaked out, but otherwise just fine."

"What was that?" Knuckles asked as he looked over the damage of the mangled robot.

"Nanites…" Gyro answered between a breath. "…I built them."

"Say what?" The echidna now shot an extremely confused look. _How could this kid manage to build something like that?_

"Nanites?" Nikki was also confused.

"They're small robots, the largest ones only about the size of the tip of a pen." Gyro stood up, using the wall for support. That was his first battle, so he was still a little shaken up and trying to regain control as he answered his comrades questions. "They respond to my voice commands. Once I activate them, they listen to any word I say and carry it out, until I give the stop command."

"So, you tell them to 'attack' and they do as you say?" She asked him curiously.

"Well, sort of. I can't use the word 'attack' as the start command word, otherwise every time I say that they would go on alert. You see, I say 'activate' backwards to start them and I say 'at ease' backwards to turn them off."

"Oh I get it, good idea."

"What I don't understand is if you had that to begin with, why didn't you use those bug bots before?" Knuckles asked slightly annoyed.

"Because I hadn't tested them yet. I really didn't want to use the nanites unless I really had to."

Knuckles shook his head. "Geez, you're just like Charles."

"Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment." Gyro said with a smile.

Nikki laughed a little at that remark. It was true, he did seem to act a lot like a younger version of her great-uncle.

With that battle over, it was time for the group to press on. They followed the pipes' winding path through the base, hoping that they will reach their destination soon.

They moved from hall to hall, the pipe they followed seemed to go on forever in the massive base. Finally they reached an area that opened up into a room. Knuckles scanned just ahead of them and found another robot just around the corner. This time, they won't lose the element of surprise.

Nikki readied herself and waited for Knuckles' cue. Gyro waited a few steps behind her.

The robot stepped into position and Knuckles gave Nikki the signal. The blue blur sped right past the echidna and slammed into the robot with crushing force. She then turned around for another go and extended her spikes. Nikki spun and turned herself into a living chainsaw. She then launched herself toward the robot. The metal monstrosity attempted to dodge and come in with a counter strike, but Nikki sped up and managed to slice right through the robot's shoulder.

At that instant, Nikki noticed something made her freeze up for a half a second. It was what came from the robot… _…that's not oil…it's…_

Gyro picked up on it in a second, like so many of the refugees from the time of Surge's return, he too recognized the smell that filled the air. "…blood…"

Knuckles jumped a little at what he heard the lynx mumble. Gyro was frozen where he stood, apparently haunted by memories past. He then quickly recollected his thoughts. "Nikki!"

Nikki landed safely a few yards away from the robot. She looked to see if maybe she had been cut by the robot and didn't notice. After checking, she quickly glanced back at the others. "I'm fine! It's not me! I think it's from the robot!"

"What?" Both Knuckles and Gyro looked at each other_. What's going on here? Is this robot actually a living thing in disguise?_

That question was answered for them when the robot's arm that Nikki had severed re-grew from the shoulder. Nikki looked in disbelief. "Okay, that's new."

The robot then charged at her. She brought her arms up to meet it and blocked the robot's attack. "Knux, scan it!"

Knuckles scanned the robot and was shocked by what he found.

Nikki was still blocking, waiting for the echidna's response. "Well?"

"It's not alive! Take it out!"

With those words, Nikki leapt back and drove herself into the robot. But no matter how hard she tried, when she saw the blood she backed off. She just couldn't get passed the fact that it wasn't just a robot…something was very wrong here.

The robot suddenly got a hit on her and sliced her forearm, "Gah!" _Not good!_

Knuckles charged in and was about to attack the robot's weak point, but in a split second, spikes just like Nikki's extended from it's forearms and back. "What the hell?" Knuckles managed to dodge the deadly spike, but the robot followed with a swift kick. A sonic boom rang out in the room and Knuckles was sent flying into the far wall.

"Knux!" Nikki dashed forward, but the robot was now as fast as she was and grabbed her.

At that moment, Gyro rushed out into the open. "Etavitca, Protect!" The nanites obeyed his command and formed a metal shield between Nikki and robot. The sound of metal clashing with metal was heard repetitively as the robot tried to break through the nanites.

Nikki then gave Gyro a determined look and he nodded back. "Set!"

At the command the nanites dispersed, Nikki used the leverage from robot still holding her arm to swing herself up.

"Cut!"

As Gyro gave the command, the nanites sliced right through the robot's arm. Now free, Nikki used the momentum to launch herself into the air and then spun.

"Protect!"

The nanites surrounded the spinning chainsaw and then both came hurtling down toward the robot. A loud sonic boom was heard and the sound of twisting metal followed. A rush of air blew past the lynx and he braced himself for the wind sheer that would soon follow. After the wind died down, he looked ahead of him to see what happened.

Nikki stood a few feet away from the mangled wreck of metal. She was breathing heavily, not out of exhaustion, but trying to get over the initial shock of what had just happened.

The robot she had just fought didn't use oil like the other robots she had faced before. It was blood, real blood!

She was trying really hard not to think about how that could've happened, but so many gruesome scenarios played out in her head at once. The blue hedgehog fell to her knees, but stopped herself from hitting the ground with her hands.

Worry overcoming shock, Gyro ran to his friend's side. "Nikki…Nikki, you okay?"

At first, Nikki didn't notice him. But then another realization came to her… "…Knux…" She then looked at the lynx next to her. "Gyro…go check on him…I'm okay."

"You're sure?" Gyro was actually worried about both of them, but it was clear that Gyro knew what Nikki was going through at this moment and wasn't sure about leaving her to her thoughts after this.

Nikki nodded, "Yes, I'm fine…Go."

With that, Gyro got up and rushed over to Knuckles who was lying on the ground by the far wall.

The blue hedgehog took a deep breath. She knew that if Knuckles needed her, she had to get herself back in order. _Okay…get a grip, Nikki…_

Nikki managed to get herself back on her feet. She then took out a Chaos Drive that was in her quills, there was no way she was going to touch that satanic robot. She rushed over to the far wall and knelt down next to Knuckles.

As she reached down to heal him, she paused for a second as she noticed the blood on her hands from the robot. She quickly shook her head to shake it off and then began healing Knuckles. _Focus…worry about yourself later…_

Gyro was surprised that Nikki was able to still keep herself together. He just kept thinking to himself…_She's only eleven…She's just a kid._

After she finished healing Knuckles with the Chaos Drive, she shook his shoulder. "Knux…Knux, can you hear me?"

Knuckles opened his eyes. He sat up and shook his head, that kick really did knock him for a loop. He was already kind of used to it, he had a few close calls like that while training Nikki, but never like this. "Yeah, I hear ya. Gah, man…I'm sure gonna feel that one tomorrow."

He then looked at his two charges, "You kids alright?"

Both kids looked at each other. They gave each other a light smile and Nikki answered. "We are now."

Getting his senses back in order, Knuckles noticed Nikki covered almost head to toe in blood. He then remembered that the girl had been injured in the fight. "Your arm."

Nikki looked down at it. "Oh, right. Guess I forgo…" Suddenly, she passed out and fell to the ground.

"Nikki!"

* * *

Author's Note: Yikes!

Yeah, sorry for the abrupt end to this half of the chapter, but don't worry. I almost have the next chapter done and I should have it up soon.

For update information, check profile :)


	3. Chapter 20: Results, Part 2

Here it is! The next part to Chapter 19 :)

Thank you to all those that reviewed. :) I am sorry for the abrupt ending with the last part, but seemed like the best spot to stop in the chapter.

Anyway, enjoy. :)

* * *

_**Chapter 20: Results: Part 2**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

It was dark…quiet…

A muffled voice broke through the silence. "…Hey, I think she's coming around…Nikki?…"

The hedgehog sat up, but still felt groggy. "Ugh, what happened?"

Her eyes then sprang open, "What the heck? Did I pass out?

Knuckles laughed inwardly at Nikki's reaction. "You sure did."

"When the robot cut your arm, it severed a major artery in your wrist. Knuckles healed it though, so you should be okay. Do you…feel okay?" Gyro was still a little worried about Nikki.

"Yeah, I feel fine."

The lynx sighed, "Good."

Nikki looked herself over, blood was still stained in her clothes. Because she had passed out, she wasn't sure whether the last half of the fight actually happened. "So…is all this from me then?"

"You really don't remember what happened?" Knuckles was a little worried when she said that.

The hedgehog counted on her fingers as she remembered. "I remember fighting the robot…and then it kicked you into the wall…then when I tried to stop it, the robot grabbed me…Oh, and Gyro's electronic bug things protected me."

Gyro shook his head. "Ugh, nanites."

Knuckles nodded. "Yep, that's pretty much everything."

"So, what happened while I was out? Did you guys find anything?"

Gyro cringed a little. "Actually…you really don't wanna know."

Nikki shot him an 'oh really' look and Gyro took a deep breath. "Alright…You see, after Knuckles healed you and everything seemed fine, I took a blood sample from the robot."

Gyro then took out the pocket laptop out of his satchel.

Knuckles shot a slightly confused look at Gyro. "Geez, do you have a whole lab in there? I mean seriously; a laptop, a bomb, nanites and now a blood test?"

"Not a bomb, a shock box."

"Aye, yie yie." The echidna said as he shook his head.

The lynx continued. "Anyway, the results show that the reason why it attacked you wasn't to protect itself, it was trying to get information about you."

"And what better information than DNA." Knuckles added.

"Exactly." The way how Gyro said that was a little hollow, he definitely wasn't too thrilled with this new development.

"So that's why it was able to copy Nikki's moves."

Nikki mumbled. "Cheater."

"The thing was that in order to get the perfect sample of DNA, it had to come from a major artery. When it cut your arm, it took the blood directly from the vein. But it took such a large amount so fast, I'm surprised you didn't pass out right there."

Just then, Nikki remembered…"But, there was still blood in the robot before I attacked it."

"Yes, and I also got the results of that too." The lynx then let out a huge sigh as he looked at his two comrades. "There are at least thirty different strands of DNA…not including yours."

Both of their eyes widened and Knuckles cursed. "Holy shit."

"This thing could pass itself off as it's own blood bank." Nikki commented.

"Well, besides using blood to copy information and moves, it could very well use it for something else. So, you could be right about that." Gyro said as he was still reviewing the information on the laptop. As he read the data on the screen, his ears folded back. "…oh…"

Nikki lightly touched the lynx's shoulder. "Gyro…what's wrong?"

Noticing Nikki, Gyro quickly closed the laptop and perked his ears forward. "Nothing."

The hedgehog's look was slightly confused by Gyro's actions, but quickly figured that if he wanted to talk about what was wrong, he would tell someone when he's ready to.

The lynx stood up and looked at the echidna leaning against the wall. "Knuckles, since the Exus are using blood in creating these robots, it stands to reason that Mobians may be held captive here."

Knuckles knew where this was going and he didn't like it. "A robot nearly kills us and you two still want to go deeper into the lion's den?"

Nikki crossed her arms. "Knux, you really should know by now that it's gonna to take more than a few rust buckets to make me turn back." She then walked up until she was next to the echidna. "And I agree with Gyro, if there are innocent Mobians still here, we have to help them."

Knuckles shook his head and sighed. "Nikki…There's probably hundreds of robots in this base and for all we know most of them could be just like the one we just fought. The three of us alone just can't beat those kind of odds."

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm willing to take that chance…" Nikki then turned around and started walking. "…on my own if I have to."

"Wait!" As Gyro yelled Nikki stopped, she looked back at the lynx as he pointed in the direction behind him and continued. "It's that way."

Nikki took a moment to look at both directions. She then realized that Gyro was right and she almost had walked back to where they came in. "Oh wow, guess I got turned around in that fight." She laughed.

"And…" Gyro continued. "…I'm going with you."

Knuckles couldn't help but be proud of the kids' resilience, but he still wasn't too sure about letting them continue this. But it was apparent that even if Knuckles and Gyro left, Nikki had already made up her mind…and nothing would stop her from changing it and he couldn't just leave an eleven year old in a place like this. The echidna let out a huge sigh. "Alright, alright…we'll keep going."

"Knew you'd come around, Knux." Nikki said with a smirk.

* * *

The group ventured further into the base, following the pipes still carrying radiation to it's destination.

Nikki couldn't help but notice that something was still bothering Gyro. It looked like the lynx was trying hard to keep his ears forward. They came to another large room and Knuckles quietly scanned the doorway. "Okay, it looks safe, but I'm gonna check out the rest of the room. Stay put." As the echidna said 'stay put', he looked at Nikki.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll wait here." Nikki said as she rolled her eyes.

Knuckles then rushed out into the room. Since Gyro had better night vision than Nikki, he kept an eye on him. Nikki would be ready to rush out if Knuckles needed her help. Gyro still seemed a little unfocused however.

After Nikki noticed Gyro's ears slant back and then forward again, she spoke. "Gyro, you okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, sure I'm fine." He answered quickly.

"You haven't said anything since we left the last room."

"Just, don't feel like talking is all. Sorry, it has nothing to do with you." The way the lynx said that sounded a little downhearted.

"Whatever it is, you could tell me." Nikki said as she leaned against the wall.

Gyro sighed. "It must really be obvious that I'm upset, right?"

"No offense, but you look like a puppy that lost his ice-cream cone."

The lynx chuckled a little at that remark. His ears then slanted back again. "…You know when I said that the blood sample I took earlier had thirty strands of DNA?"

Nikki thought for a second, she then nodded and Gyro continued. "One of those strands…belongs to my dad."

The hedgehog's look changed, but just slightly. Her eyebrows raised and the small smile disappeared. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'." Gyro agreed, he then sighed.

"When was the last time you saw him, your dad I mean?"

"That's just it, I haven't seen him in so long. I've been away studying at the university, so I haven't been home in three years."

Nikki was shocked by this. "Wait, you haven't seen your family in three years?" She then shook her head. "Bummer, Majores."

"Nikki, I really don't know what I'm gonna do. I'm not a great fighter like Knuckles…or you, I mean especially you. You're amazing."

"Gyro, you saved me back there. Don't you remember?" Nikki reminded as her smile returned.

"Yeah, but I had no idea what I was doing."

Nikki laughed. "Do I look like _I_ know what I'm doing in a fight?"

Gyro shoots her a look. "Yes."

"Well no, I don't. Most of it is either luck or just that I'm too stubborn to give up. No one can really know what to do in fight, because you can't predict whatever your opponent will do next. All you can do is guess or just go with it."

"Yeah…I guess you're right about that. Still…with everything that we've seen so far…I'm really terrified of what of what we'll see _if_ we find prisoners down here."

"If so, then we're just gonna have to keep it together. We have to." A determined look came over the hedgehog's face as she spoke. "And believe me, I'm not leaving until I've searched every inch of this place."

At that moment, Knuckles came back. "Okay, it's clear. There's another hallway just across the room, the pipes continue there."

Both kids nodded and they started to follow when Gyro spoke out. "Nikki."

The hedgehog looked back.

Gyro gave a light smile. "Thank you."

Nikki returned the smile with a thumbs up and they all continued across the room to the hallway.

"This will take us to…whatever it is the Exus are using the radiation for, but how are we going to find where they keep their captives?" Nikki asked as she ran just behind Knuckles.

"I have no idea. Damn, I wish we had a map." The echidna looked back at Gyro. "Hey kid, do you have one in that 'bag of tricks'?"

Gyro gives an unimpressed look and says with sarcasm. "Ha, ha." The next tone he used was more serious. "No, but I really wish that I did."

As the group ran passed a hallway, Nikki noticed the Chaos Shard around her neck glowed. "Whoa! Wait a minute."

The others stop and look back at Nikki. Curiously, the hedgehog stepped passed the dark hallway and stopped as the shard dimmed. She then stepped backward till she was in front of the hall entrance and the shard glowed again. "Hmm…" She then looked to her comrades. "I think we should go this way."

The two had watched this unfold in front of them and were curious about it as well.

"That crystal is reacting to something in that direction?" Gyro asked.

_Chaos Emeralds do have a knack for picking up life energy… _Knuckles thought. He then nodded. "I agree, lets check it out. Lead the way."

Nikki nodded and then took off down the hall. The other two followed close behind. The hedgehog followed the glow of the Chaos Shard until they reached a fork in the hall leading in two different directions. Nikki leaned in one direction. When she noticed the light dim, she then turned to the other. The light returned and she ran down the hall to the left. Knuckles kept his scanner looking just ahead of her so that they didn't have to slow down.

Nikki noticed two red lights glimmer ahead of her. "Heads up!"

She then spun, extended her spikes and sliced through the robot's legs, causing it to fall to the ground. Before the robot could react, Knuckles jumped up and plowed his fist into the robot's head, crushing it. The two continued moving forward and Gyro jumped over the robot and caught up to them.

Nikki stopped at an iron door and the shard around her neck glowed brightly. It was one of those doors that was just screaming, 'hey dungeon's in here'.

The young hedgehog gave the other two a hand sign telling them to stop. She then knocked on the metal door. "Hello! Room service!"

She then jumped back and then jumped on the wall next to the door. As the robot opened the door, Nikki bounced off the adjacent wall and then kicked the robot in the head.

"Etavitca! Set!" The nanites did as Gyro commanded and rushed into the room, the lynx followed.

The other five robots in the room were trying to attack Nikki, but she was effortlessly dodging their moves. She jumped on what looked to be a lab table and noticed that it had shackles that could clasp tightly shut on all four corners. She gave a smirk as an idea sparked in her head. One of the robots came right for her, but she grabbed it's arm and then pulled it until it lined up with the top right shackle. She then fastened the shackle around the robot's wrist and it was trapped. The next robot lunged at her and she repeated the process with the top left shackle.

The third robot was coming in at her next and she ducked under the table, not to hide, but to kick the table upward. The third robot crashed right into the table as well as the other two robots still trapped on it.

Nikki then landed on the table, which was now turned upside down, pushing the robots into the floor.

On the other end of the room, Gyro readied himself for the attack of the fourth robot. "Shield!"

The nanites formed a shield around Gyro's arm and he blocked every attack. Suddenly, a hand touched the robot's shoulder, followed by a young voice. "Hey!"

As the robot turned around, Nikki kicked it right in the face and then planted a second kick right to the chest. The last kick sent the robot into the wall. As the robot was forced to step away from the wall, she bounced off of the wall where the robot had hit and then plowed into it.

Knuckles was fighting the fifth robot near another metal door, when he barely noticed the flying metal wreck flying right toward him. He stepped to the side and the robot plowed into the robot that he was fighting and then both robots broke through the metal door.

All three look in the now gaping hole where the metal door used to be.

"Well, that's one way to pick a lock." Gyro commented.

The group then walked through the doorway, stepping over (or on top of) the wrecked metal in the entry way.

The long hall was lined with thick prison doors. All the doors were completely covered with metal, with the exception of a small hole at the bottom and a barred window near the top.

"I'll check the doors down the hall." Nikki shouted back as she ran toward her destination and started checking the cells.

The echidna looked at the teenage lynx. "You take that side, I'll look over here."

Gyro nodded and started checking the left side doors, while Knuckles checked the right. By the third door, Gyro spotted something. "Here!"

Knuckles heard him and was there in a second. "Stand back."

Gyro complied and Knuckles slipped his shovel claws over his namesakes. He then punched the door. It created a dent, but it didn't budge. "What the hell?"

Nikki heard this and ran down the hall in a flash to her two comrades. "My turn."

Knuckles stepped back and Nikki started to spin. Her spikes extended and the living chainsaw drove herself into the hinges of the door. Sparks flew for a brief moment, but as Nikki jumped away the door slid down and fell to the floor.

"Huh…who's there?"

Gyro had recognized that voice almost instantly, but he still couldn't believe his ears. He looked inside the cell. "…Dad?"

"Gyro?"

With out hesitation, Gyro rushed and embraced his father.

Now the other two looked in from the outside. The older lynx looked somewhat similar to Gyro, only his fur was dark brown instead of the blondish white of the younger lynx. He also had black on the tips of his ears and his chest fur was black. His gloves were black as well as his boots, both had blue-ish white lightning streaks on them. His feet were shackled with a chain that led to an iron ring in the center.

Knuckles recognized the lynx right away. "Lightning?"

The lynx in question looked at the echidna. His frost blue eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. "Knuckles? What the heck are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing-" Knuckles then shook it off. "You're Gyro's father?"

"Why is that so surprising to you?"

"I just, you never seemed to be the type to- settle down or anything like that."

The lynx then gave him a look. "Neither did Sonic."

Knuckles then crossed his arms, "Touché"

"Speaking of which, you must be his daughter. You look just like him, I mean that with the utmost respect of course."

The hedgehog shrugged. "Ah, I get that all the time. The name's Nikki."

She then walked up and looked at the iron ring with the chains attached. "Now, lets get you out of this."

Nikki was about to spin and cut the chain, when Gyro stopped her. "Wait!" He then held up his arm. "Shield."

The nanites obeyed and formed a massive shield between the chains and the two lynx's. "Okay, go."

Nikki got as close as she could to the shield and spun. Her spikes extended and sparks flew in all directions as they made contact with the chains. Knuckles had to step out of the cell to prevent being hit by the sparks and stray metal fragments. The chains snapped and Nikki stopped spinning.

"Esae Ta." The nanites shield disappeared.

The elder lynx looked at the young hedgehog. "Thank you."

"Ah, it was nothing." Nikki said as she readjusted her gloves.

Knuckles leaned against the doorway to the cell. "So, you think you can stand?"

"I think so." Lightning started to try and get up, but he quickly found that he no longer had the strength to and cringed in pain.

"Dad!"

"Don't worry…I'm alright."

In a flash Nikki dashed out of the room. She looked inside one of the robot's outside the cell and found a green Chaos Drive. _Nope, but definitely wanna save that one for later. _She placed it in her quills and continued to search the other robots. _Come on, I need a gold or a violet Chaos Drive here._

Her luck finally changed and she managed to find a violet Chaos Drive. "Yes!" She then dashed back into the room and knelt next to Lightning. "Now, hold still."

A bright white light shines around her and then surrounds Lightning. Neither Gyro, nor his father had expected this and Knuckles laughed inside himself at the look on their faces as Nikki healed every cut and injury on the lynx.

"There you go, try now." Nikki said with a smile as she stood up.

The elder lynx gave a slightly confused look, but shrugged his shoulders and then tried to stand up. To his surprise, he felt like he was never attacked to begin with. "Incredible."

"Thanks."

The elder lynx looked at the echidna standing in the doorway. "So, what are you three doing down here? I highly doubt you knew I was here."

"Tails' computer picked up an energy source here that wasn't like the other bases we've checked before."

"Yeah, I managed to find that out while I was here. Their using radiation from the old Eggman plant nearby."

"Did you happen to find out what they're using it for?"

The lynx shook his head. "Not completely. All I heard was that they need the radiation from the plant to make new parts for their more recent line of scrap heaps. But when I was brought here, I didn't see anything that looked like they had a forge here to make the metal they need."

Knuckles thought for a minute. "Now that doesn't add up at all."

"Same thing I was thinking." Lightning agreed as he crossed his arms.

"I might have an answer for that…unfortunately." Gyro spoke out.

"What is it, Son?"

"Well, you should know…before we found you, we ran into a robot that was using blood instead of oil. It was also using the DNA from that blood to copy moves."

"Did it look like a swiss-army knife with legs?"

"That's exactly what I thought when I saw it." Nikki said when she heard Lightning's description.

"That sounds like the same one that attacked my team in Cat Country." The elder lynx remembered. "It's the Exus' newest model. Stealth calls it the 'Sleeper'."

"Why's that?" Nikki asked.

"I'll explain more later, I think it might be best if we kept moving. And quite frankly, I've spent more than enough time in here."

The kids nodded and they all left the cell and ran back out into the main hallway. "Okay, so where did you guys leave off, Knuckles?"

"You sure you want to come along? I mean, you said yourself you've been in here too long. We won't blame you if you head back."

"What and leave my son in here, I don't think so."

Knuckles shrugged. "Alright, we've been following the pipes. Your kid's idea."

Lightning smiled. "Good call." He then picked up where he left off as they followed the pipes. "As I was saying before, Stealth called the robot a 'Sleeper' because he wasn't able to detect it's presence at first and neither was I. Then when we fought against it, the robot was able to copy our moves after it attacked us."

"Like a Sleeper Agent would." Knuckles stated.

"Exactly." The elder lynx agreed. He then turned to his son. "So Gyro, what was it you were saying earlier? Do you have a theory for what the Exus are using all this energy for?"

"There's just so many things they could be using it for. They could be planning a missile launch, they could be planning on releasing all the radiation into the atmosphere…"

Nikki scoffed. "Yeah, as if the planet has enough problems already."

Gyro continued. "And that's not all of it, there's just too many scenarios to just pick one."

"It looks like we're just going to have to find out when we get there." Knuckles concluded.

"Judging by the look of these pipes, we should be getting close." Gyro examined.

Suddenly, the hall ahead of them dropped down at a ninety degree angle, it almost looked like an elevator shaft. Knuckles was ahead of the group and stopped at the edge. However, the others didn't see past him and didn't slow down fast enough. "No Wait!-Gah!"

They all crashed into him and the whole group fell down the shaft. About some twelve feet down, the shaft opened up and they all hit the metal ground below.

Each member of the group tried to get up to get their bearings.

Knuckles rubbed the back of his head as he sat up. "Ugh, what kind of idiot designed this base? Who puts a shaft in the middle of a hallway?"

"Robots without a brain." Nikki groaned as she sat up.

"I think we've been running though the access port for the service robots." Gyro mumbled.

"It's still stupid." Nikki said as she got up and brushed herself off.

"I completely agree with you." Lightning shook himself off and looked around. His frost blue eyes opened wide with shock at what he saw. "Guys…over there."

The others looked at the strange contraption that was against far wall. It was massive, covering almost the entire wall to the ceiling. It was a very crude looking design and had huge cords and wires sticking out of every direction, lining the walls and the floors. The pipes they had been following lead directly to the mechanical monstrosity.

"What the hell…is that?" Nikki asked as she looked up at the primitive metal structure.

Knuckles and Lightning seemed to have recognized it, but didn't say a word. They looked at and then looked at each other with mirrored shocked looks.

Gyro stood up and walked forward. "It's…a roboticizor."

* * *

Author's Note: Man, this is getting good.

More action to come in the next Chapter of Sonic's Legacy :)

For Update information, check profile :)


	4. Chapter 21: Claws and Daggers

Well, here it is, Chapter 21.

I would've had this up sooner, but every time I tried to post it it wouldn't load up. But I did find a way around it.

In the great words of "Mythbusters", absolutely never try what you are about to read in this chapter at home.

* * *

_**Chapter 21: Claws and Daggers**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

"Whoa, wait a minute. Robota-what?" Nikki had absolutely no idea what Gyro was talking about, but by the sound of it, it wasn't good at all.

"A roboticizor…" The young lynx repeated. "They were originally created by Dr. Eggman to…" Gyro trailed off at the end of the sentence, but after taking a breath continued. "…change organic material into metal."

Nikki looked at the machine, she then looked at Gyro. "You mean to tell me that that thing turns Mobians into robots?" She really didn't know what to think of this.

"…Yes." Gyro answered.

The hedgehog closed her eyes and exhaled. It was apparent that she was trying keep herself calm after hearing that the Exus had been using a machine to turn innocent lives into scrap metal. Her eyes sprang open and she took another step toward the machine.

Knowing what Nikki was planning to do, Gyro grabbed her arm. "Whoa hold it! I know what you're thinking and it's not a good idea."

"I was just gonna slice it in half."

"As I said, not a good idea. There's still high levels of radiation flowing into that machine. If you damage it, it could cause a melt down and everything in a ten mile radius will be blown into next week."

Nikki's eyes widened at that thought. "I really hope you have an idea, Gyro."

"We have to disable it, it's the only way without compromising the machine." Sensing that Nikki was relaxing, the young lynx released her arm.

"Think you can do that, Gyro?" Knuckles asked.

"I'll have to get a better look at it first." Gyro said as he walked up to the machine and began to examine it.

"We'll help you in any way we can." The lynx's father offered.

"Thanks." Gyro smiled back at them and then looked back to the machine. He starts examining the machine where it was all welded together.

_The pipes lead in at the top, I'm gonna have to figure out exactly where the radiation filters into the machine so that I'm not exposed to it. This thing is extremely primitive. Might even be one of Eggman's first roboticizors._

The young analyst followed the welding with his eyes to what looked to be an access panel at the base of the machine. He took out his pocket laptop and his tools out of his satchel and scanned it. _Good, it looks like the radiation doesn't run through this part of the machine._

He then takes out a screwdriver and started unscrewing the bolts off of the access panel. _This should come right off and…_

Just as Gyro took off the last screw, the panel fell away from the machine revealing an opening. "Yes."

"Good work." Knuckles congratulated.

"Okay, I'm gonna try and squeeze my way in here. It looks like it's going to be tight, so I may need some help getting back out."

"We'll be here." Nikki assured.

"Be careful." His father warned.

Gyro nodded and then pulled himself into the opening. He got about as far as his ankles were the only part of him that didn't get in before getting stuck. He tried to pull himself even further in, but there was no way he could fit though the hole ahead of him. "I can't get through, pull me out."

Knuckles and Lightning, both held one of Gyro's ankles and gently pulled him back through the opening.

"I can't get back there…I'm not small enough." Gyro said between breaths.

"Let me try." Nikki volunteered. "I'm smaller than you guys I can probably get through."

Everyone nodded and Gyro reached into his satchel. He takes out a headset and hands it to Nikki. "Here, put this on. It has a camera and mic attached to it. Once you're in, I'll tell you what to do."

Nikki buckled Gyro's tool belt around her waist. She then placed the headset on and then pulled herself into the opening as Gyro did before, although it looked much easier for her than it was for the teenage lynx.

"Nikki, can you hear me?" Gyro asked as he opened his laptop.

Nikki's voice came up on speaker. "Yeah, I hear ya."

"Okay, you kids take care of this, I'll watch your backs." The elder lynx kept his eyes open and looked around the room.

"You doing okay kid?" Knuckles spoke into the mic. He knew that Nikki was uncomfortable in tight spaces.

"Lets just get this over with so I can get out of here." Her voice sounded fine, not a hint of uncertainty. But Knuckles knew that what he was thinking about her being claustrophobic was correct.

Some of the spaces were so tight that she almost got stuck a few times, but each time she did, she flattened her spikes and wedged her way through. "Okay, now which way?"

"Look to your right."

Nikki did as Gyro said and his voice came back in. "Yeah, go that way."

The small hedgehog weaved her way through the metal and wires, being careful not to break any of them. She pulled herself through another hole and saw what looked to be a computer panel with wires attached in every direction. "Is this it?"

"Yes, now what you want to do is take the wire cutters from my tool belt and just cut the cover off the red wire."

Nikki reached down and pulled the wire cutters out of the tool belt. As she held them up to the red wire, her hand started shaking a little. She pulled it back and took a breath. Keep it together…you're not in a small space right now, you're in a condo.

"Okay…" She brought her arm back up to the wire and with the tip of the cutters just barely cut the edge of the rubber covering. She then pulled gently on the rubber cover to reveal the twined wires underneath. "Got it."

"Now, do the same to the green wire below it."

Nikki carefully took the wire and exposed it like the other. "Okay, now what?"

"Okay, now this is the hard part. Take a few strands of the wire from the red covered one and intertwine them with the green one. Be extremely careful not to cut the wires or the whole thing will blow."

"Kay, so no pressure then." Nikki laughed with sarcasm.

The young hedgehog placed the wire cutters back in the tool belt. She then took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Regaining her focus, she opened her eyes and then took one of the wires in her hands. She pulled the copper wire just slightly so that it was arched a little above the neatly twined wires. She then did the same with the other.

The exposed copper wire sparked a little when she brought them together, but she looped one of the wires through the other before she had the chance to get shocked.

Gyro sighed with relief. "Okay, that should do it. Come on back, but be careful."

The young hedgehog started working her way back though the maze of metal and wires. She finally made it back through the opening and sighed with relief. "Boy, am I glad that's over."

She then looked forward and noticed that they were all surrounded by at least a hundred Exus robots aiming their weapons directly at them.

"…oh snap."

A feminine voice came from the upper rafters of the room. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed throughout the metal room and the robots turned around. A different voice sounded from where the dark figure stood. "Sorry, would've been here sooner, but it seems we didn't get an invitation." The cat-like intruder flicked his tail as he stood up. His gold, green eyes glowed in the darkness.

Knuckles recognized them right away. "Rouge! Stealth!"

"You guys came all the way here?" Lightning asked shocked.

"Of course, you didn't think we would leave our teammate here to rot, did ya?" Stealth nearly laughed in a friendly tone. "So…" The wild cat unsheathed his claws, the markings on his gloves made them look menacingly longer than they actually were. "Which one of you rust buckets wants to take me on first?"

Three of the robots rushed in at him and he leapt up into the air. Rouge flew down and took out one row with a swift kick. She then landed and swiftly took out two daggers out of her boots. Stealth landed on one of the robot's heads and dug the claws on his feet into it. One of the robots tries to hit him, but the wild cat leapt off, causing the robot to kill its own.

While the robots were distracted, Knuckles and Lightning rushed in. Nikki stayed close to Gyro in case he needed help. Gyro activated his nanites and readied himself for whatever was going to happen next.

Nikki gave Gyro a smirk. "Back to back?"

Gyro returned her smirk with one of his own. "Just what I was thinking."

Both kids stood back to back and looked at the horde of robots, waiting for them to make the first move.

One robot rushed in and Nikki rushed to meet it. She extended her spikes and spun, slicing the robot in half.

Another one came in from Gyro's side and Gyro readied himself for the attack. "Shield!"

The instant shield blocked the attack and Gyro set himself up for a counter. "Set!"

Half of the nanites formed themselves around the robot. "Cut!" The nanites cut through the robot and it collapsed on the ground.

Gyro looked behind him and shouted for his friend to hear. "Nikki!"

The hedgehog looked back for a second and quickly dodged another attack. The lynx continued. "Chainsaw!"

Nikki gave a nod and started spinning, her spikes extended. Gyro then gave the command. "Protect!"

The nanites obeyed and wrapped themselves around Nikki. The fast moving blade whipped around and sliced through ten robots in a full circle. She returned back behind Gyro and the nanites returned to the set position around them.

Suddenly, a massive group of nanites took out the robots on one side of the room.

"Wow, nice work Gyro!" Nikki congratulated.

"That…wasn't me."

Nikki shot Gyro a confusing look. "If that wasn't you than who-?"

Before she could finish, the nanites gathered in one place and began to form. They took the shape of a beautiful female lynx. Her fur was brown and she had elegant black markings on her face. Her long black hair flowed as it began to take shape. Her green eyes shined in the darkness as the wave of robots threatened to charge at her. The robots rushed in and the lynx spun around. It looked like she created blades out of the air, but it was really millions of nanites cutting through the metal at her command.

Knuckles' jaw dropped. "N-Nichole?"

"Well, the gang's finally all here." Stealth commented.

"Don't even start with me. You were the one that insisted you knew where you were going." The beautiful lynx retorted back.

"Yeah Hun, next time ask the GPS for directions." Rouge laughed.

"Hey, I found it didn't I?" The wild cat defended.

"Yes, but a thirty minute trip turned into two hours." Nicole said with a smirk.

As the group was bantering back and forth, they were also dodging attacks and fighting back.

"Yeah, but you took a detour." Stealth yelled over the sound of his claws slicing through metal.

Nicole retorted back. "After you tripped the alarm system. Guess who had to fly to the third floor to disable it?"

"You really shouldn't bother, men never ask for directions." Rouge commented after using her dagger to cut though a robot's weak point in it's visor then kicking it across the room.

Stealth shot her a sarcastic look. "Thanks Dear, thanks a lot."

"Wait a minute…" Knuckles then turned to the wild cat across the room. "You tripped the alarm and brought these metal freaks here?"

"Knux, I've been working with him for fourteen years. This is a regular thing for him." Lightning answered dryly.

Stealth sliced through the last robot and it fell to the ground. "Okay, that was the last one." The wild cat then sheathed his claws and brushed himself off.

Nicole ran over to Lightning and embraced him. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"So, you two are together?" Knuckles asked.

Gyro tapped Knuckles on the shoulder "Um, Knuckles. She's my mom."

After hearing that, Knuckles was dumbstruck and fell to the floor.

Rouge flew back down and landed next Stealth. "I knew he was a klutz, but really?"

Stealth turned and looked at the bat. "Gyro just told him he's Nichole's son."

"Oh." She then laughed. "Yep, that explains it."

Knuckles recovered, but he was still confused. "How the hell is that possible? Not only that, he looks nothing like you two."

"A minor side effect." Gyro answered.

"So wait…" Nikki thought for a second. "If Nicole is your mom, then that means…"

Gyro answered her would be question. "I'm not really a Mobian…yes." His ears slanted back, but only just a little. "I hope you don't think ill of me for not telling you sooner. I wanted to try and live as normal a life as possible."

Nikki raised one of her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "You're thirteen and you're in college. No offense but that's not normal." She then gave him a smirk. "but I understand why you didn't say anything before."

"This isn't going to affect our friendship, is it? I mean, if you don't like me now that you found out I'm well-"

"What? Hell no, of course we're still friends. I don't care what you are."

"Really? You're not afraid of me?"

After Gyro said that, Nikki couldn't help but start laughing. Gyro just didn't look scary by any means so it was pretty funny. "Ha ha! Gyro…" Nikki finally regained her composure and looked at him, but she still looked like she would bust up laughing again at any moment.

"Okay, I get it. I'm not scary."

"Okay…okay…I'm done." Nikki said in between breaths. She then looked him again. "The point is, it doesn't matter if you're a real lynx or not." She then held out her hand. "We're still friends, as long as that's alright with you too."

Gyro smiled and took her hand and shook it. "You bet."

"Also, could you please not tell anyone. I don't think other people nowadays will be as understanding about me."

"Don't worry, you're secret's safe with me. I promise." Nikki said with a smile.

Gyro sighed with relief. "Thank you."

* * *

Both groups made it back to the entrance of the base.

Knuckles looked at Stealth. "So, where are you guys heading?"

"Well, we only came down here to get Lightning back. So, we might just head back to Cat Country. There's a lot of rebuilding that needs to be done there."

"This time, I'll lead us back. I think your sense of direction is getting rusty." Nicole shot a smirk in Stealth's direction.

The wild cat shook his head. "Seriously, you get lost one time and you never hear the end of it."

Nicole rolled her eyes. She then turned to her son. "Are you sure you don't want to come back with us, Gyro?"

"Maybe for summer break. Besides, I really need to tell Charles about what we found here."

The female lynx nodded. "Alright." She then embraces him. "We'll miss you."

Gyro returned her embrace. "I'll miss you too."

They released each other and the group took off. Lightning stayed behind for a minute and walked up to his son. "You did a great job today, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Dad." Gyro smiled.

"Hey, Lightning!" The lynx looked back at the wild cat that called his name. "Wanna race back?"

Lightning laughed, "Oh, you're on." He then looked at the young lynx next to him and waved. "Take care, Son."

"You too, Dad."

Knuckles yelled for them to hear as Lightning dashed off. "Hey! Try not to get caught again!"

"Don't plan to!"

The two last members of the group leapt over a pile of rubble and disappeared.

"Well, there they go." Knuckles then turned to his two charges. "So, I think it's about time we head back too."

"Yeah, good idea." Nikki smiled, she then remembered something. "Oh, Gyro?"

"Yes."

"What we did to that roboticizor thing, you think it took care of it?"

"Oh, it took care of it alright. I think they'll be pretty surprised to find out that the starter doesn't work."

"Nice."

Knuckles interrupted. "So, kid…" Both kids look at the echidna. "What do you say, you wanna join the Freedom Fighters?"

"Are you really serious?"

"Yeah I know, hard to tell right? I can never tell if he's serious." Nikki smirked.

Knuckles gave Nikki a look. "Yes, I'm serious."

Nikki shook her head and suppressed a laugh. "Nope, still don't believe it."

Gyro thought for a moment. "Alright."

"Well, welcome to the team." Knuckles smiled.

"But I'm still going to the university, so I might not be able to help you guys out all the time."

"Not a problem. But I am curious, if you're a nanite machine, why are you going to school?" The echidna asked.

"Oh, I don't go there to learn. I teach."

Both Nikki and Knuckles looked at each other.

"What? A thirteen year old can't teach a class?"

* * *

Author's Note: Gyro finally joins the team. I've been waiting for this part. :)

Next chapter will finally answer some questions about Nikki's abilities.

For Update information, check my profile :)


	5. Chapter 22: Crash

Here's Chapter 22!

I actually had most of this one typed out in notes, so it was much faster to finish.

Thanks to all of you that reviewed.

Without further delay, Enjoy! :)

* * *

_**Chapter 22: Crash**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

It has been a week since their trip to the Exus base. Nikki had got a call from her best friend Jodi saying that she had some important information for her and Tails, so the two of them along with Gyro flew there to find out. As the X Tornado 2 tried to come in for a landing on the roof, Jodi could tell that something wasn't right. The plane was zig zagging in different directions, hovering awkwardly as it tried to land. Surely Tails was a much better pilot so it couldn't have been that.

The ferret ran up to meet them at the door on the roof. She invited them all in and lead them down the stairs.

"So what was going on out there? Was your plane malfunctioning or something?" Jodi asked with concern.

Tails laughed a little. "No, I was just teaching Nikki how to fly the plane."

"You let her take the controls, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking the same thing on the way here." Gyro laughed.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, so I'm not a perfect pilot. Big deal."

"Aw you just need more practice." Tails reassured.

Gyro gave Tails a look. "If you try and let her 'practice' on the way back, I'll just walk back to base."

"There are Exus robots patrolling the whole area on that route." Jodi noted.

The lynx gave a light sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, I'd rather take my chances with them, thanks."

Wanting to change the subject, Nikki turned to Jodi. "So, you said you found something important?"

"Yes that's right. Follow me."

The ferret led the group down the hall and into one of the rooms. "Here we are."

As everyone walked in, Jodi sat at her computer desk and loaded up the program. "Okay…remember when you asked me to compile data that can tell us how Nikki absorbs Chaos Energy?"

Tails nodded and the ferret continued. "Well, I used all the data you guys gathered so far and came up with a formula for it. I used Sonic's old data you gave me too as a control since they're related. Here's how it works…"

The computer screen showed a picture of Sonic and a graph right next it.

"Okay, so you see the graph there? That's Sonic's Chaos Power ratio. From what I've gathered, Sonic was able to use Power Rings to heal as well as to run at the speed of light in short bursts. When Sonic used a Chaos Emerald, these abilities became stronger, as well as his speed and power. He also was able use them to teleport. The more Chaos Emeralds he used, the power is doubled by that amount. Now when Sonic used all seven Chaos Emeralds, he completely transforms and becomes Super Sonic. This gave him unprecedented power, but only until the energy from Chaos Emeralds ran out."

"Now take a look at Nikki's profile. You know how we couldn't figure out why Nikki could use Chaos Drives? Well this explains why. As far as we know, Sonic wasn't able to use Chaos Drives, the energy level in them is just too weak to allow Mobians to use. But with Nikki, it's different. She can use them in the same manner that Sonic used Chaos Emeralds. So, that was what I used for my calculations. I figured out that Nikki can amplify Chaos Energy at ten times the normal output."

Tails' eyes widened. "Say what?"

"Basically this is how the table works. When Nikki uses a Chaos Drive, it's like Sonic using a Chaos Emerald."

"So if Nikki gets seven Chaos Drives together, she'll change into Super Nikki?"

"Actually, no. There are only four different kinds of Chaos Drives. There are seven different Chaos Emeralds, each one stands for an element. Though she could increase the power with more Chaos Drives, she won't be able to go super with them."

"What would happen if she used a Chaos Emerald?" Gyro asked.

"Well, lets check the simulator." Jodi pulled up another window on the screen. "I used this to help Nikki figure out how fast needed to run to be able to turn instead of running into walls."

Nikki rubbed the back of her head as she remembered. "Yeah, this saved me from a lot of head injuries."

"So, I'll just put in the calculations and…" Jodi pushed play and an image of Nikki showed up on the screen. Then an image of a Chaos Emerald was put in front of her. The chibi Nikki picked up the emerald and then the screen flashed and a kaboom sound came through the speakers.

The group looked shockingly at the screen. Tails then turns to Nikki. "Okay, so no Chaos Emeralds for you then."

"Is that a hundred percent accurate?" Gyro asked with concern.

"Well, it's just judging by Nikki's stats now. As she grows older and stronger, it might change to where she could actually use a Chaos Emerald without hurting herself. However, there is still one problem."

"What's that?" Nikki asked.

"You can't heal yourself. By all of the accounts that I've read and the data Tails sent me, the pressure alone from transforming is enough to cause major damage to the wielder of the emerald. Since Sonic could heal himself, he never experienced the severe after effects of using the seven Chaos Emeralds. Since you can't heal yourself Nikki…using just one Chaos Emerald could easily kill you."

"Well, that sucks." Nikki crossed her arms.

"Well, at least we know and didn't have to find out the hard way." Tails reassured.

Jodi then turned to Nikki. "My suggestion would be that you keep practicing with Chaos Drives. See how many of them you could handle at once, but don't overdue it. You wanna work your way up, don't rush it."

The blue hedgehog smirked. "Okay, so practice using Chaos Drives, got it."

"And?" Jodi gave her friend a look.

"And I'm deathly allergic to Chaos Emeralds." Nikki rolled her eyes, but then quickly smiled when her friend saw her.

"Good, you got it." Jodi smiled. She then started to shut down the computer. "So, when should we check Nikki's progress again?"

Tails answered her question. "I'll send you some more data in about a month or so."

"Sounds good. In the meantime, I'll see if I can come up with a solution to help Nikki better control Chaos Energy." The ferret then stood up. "Well, I guess that's all for now."

"Thank you, Jodi."

When Tails thanked her, the ferret blushed. "Oh, it was nothing really."

Tails and Gyro walked out first, Nikki stayed behind to talk to her friend a little bit longer. "You know, you could still come with us. I've already talked it over with Tails and he said it was fine."

"No, I don't want to leave just yet. Besides, I'm teaching someone how to control the electro-magnetic shield surrounding the orphanage."

Nikki gave her 'sister' a dumbfounded look. "It's Mrs. Stern, isn't it."

"No."

The blue hedgehog breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank Mobius, I would hate to know what would happen if you put her in charge of that thing."

"It's one of the kids here in the orphanage, you remember Skyler right?"

"Skyler Raven, yeah I remember her. Isn't she already fifteen by now?"

"Yes, but she wants to stay and help the other kids here in the orphanage."

"That's good, she always looked after everyone here like they were her own. It's the perfect job for her."

"Yeah."

Nikki started to walk toward the door. "So, I'll see you soon then."

"Yes, oh and one more thing. The lynx that was with you and Tails, who is he?"

"Gyro? Yeah, he joined us recently. He's not used to the whole fighting robots thing, but Knux and I have been working with him."

"Oh, I see."

Seeing her 'sister' blush, Nikki gave the ferret a confusing look. "Are, you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah sure, I'm fine."

"Why are you blushing?"

"What? I'm blushing, I really hope he didn't see that."

Nikki's confused look was much more defined now. "…Jodi?"

Jodi finally gave in. "Alright, alright, I think he's cute. There I said it."

"Who Tails? That's no surprise to me, you've had that hero crush since you were…well…since I first met you." Nikki then thought for a second. "Although, he is married now and he's way too old for you anyway."

"I know that. I wasn't talking about Tails, Nikki…I was talking about Gyro."

"Oh." After she remembered that Gyro is actually a nanite machine, her tone changed. "Oh." _Crap._

* * *

"Hello, Mobius to Nikki."

"Hmm? What?"

Knuckles shook his head after he finally got Nikki's attention. "That's the third time you spaced out on me today. We're working in a dangerous part of the area, you need to focus. What the hell are you thinking about anyway?"

"Uh nothing."

"Then pay attention." With that, the echidna turned around and kept moving forward.

"Right." The young hedgehog quickly caught up to him. It had been a week since her, Tails, and Gyro visited Jodi and she was still thinking about what her 'sister' had said.

_She likes Gyro? Oh boy, what should I tell her. Wait, no I can't tell her what Gyro is. I promised him that I wouldn't._

Noticing that she was losing focus again, Nikki shook it off.

_I really shouldn't worry about it, I mean she's eleven the same age as me. It might be just a crush._

Suddenly, her attention was brought back to realty with a loud yell.

"HELP!"

Both Freedom Fighters looked in the direction of the noise. "It came from that way, over the rubble."

They both ran to left and leapt on top of the rubble and looked ahead of them. It was a young meerkat, he looked to be at least six or seven years old.

The robot that had a hold of the kid, was different than the ones Nikki and Knuckles had faced before. It was round, almost like a massive bowling ball. There was no head, but it had lights that ran around the spherical structure. The kid was captured by a tentacle that came out of what Nikki assumed to be the mouth and it was pulling him closer and closer to the void.

Knuckles quickly scanned the strange robot. "Damn, it doesn't match anything in Tails' data base."

"Please! Somebody Help Me!" The meerkat cried out.

At that last yell, Nikki dashed down to rescue the kid.

"Nikki, what are you doing? We have no idea how to fight that thing!"

"I can't just let it take him, Knux!" Nikki shouted back. She then turned her attention back to the meerkat. "Hold on, Kid! I'm coming!"

Suddenly, the robot swiftly pulled the tentacle in it's mouth.

Nikki grabbed the end of it and ran in reverse. "Oh no you don't!" At that moment, another tentacle shot out and wrapped itself around Nikki's shoulder. "Hey!"

"Nikki!" Knuckles ran up and was about to hit it, when a third tentacle shot out and grabbed him by the arm. It then lifted the echidna into the air and threw him into the nearest building.

"Knux!" The hedgehog's eyes creased forward and she began to increase her speed. Even though she was running at full strength, the robot still held on to her. "Let Go! Didn't anyone tell you that fast food isn't good for you?"

With one swift tug, the robot pulled both kids into it's massive mouth. The circular opening quickly shut and they were trapped.

"Gah! Chaos, we're gonna die!" The young meerkat yelped.

Nikki extended her spikes and tried to slice through the place where the door had been. No matter what she did, the metal refused to bend or budge. A smaller tentacle lashed out from the cylindrical wall and wrapped itself around the hedgehog's arm. "What the hell?"

She used the spike on her other arm to cut herself free. Somehow sensing that Nikki was a threat, more tentacles came through the walls grabbed onto her. In the struggle, Nikki managed to keep one of her legs free and kicked the tentacle holding left arm. With her arm free, she sliced the tentacle that was wrapped firmly around her right leg. She then pulled herself upside down and used her left spike to cut her right arm loose.

A voice came from outside of the robot. "Nikki! Can you hear me?"

"Knux! Yeah, I hear you!"

"I can see you with my scanner!" Knuckles slipped on his shovel claws as he dodged the lasers the robot was firing from the ring of lights around the top. "Try and Spin Dash your way through, I'll try and weaken it from out here!"

"Okay!" She turned to the kid next to her. "You may wanna take a couple steps back."

The boy did as he was told and Nikki leapt up and jumped on the wall across from her target. She then spun and drove herself into the wall. Sparks flew in every direction, lighting up the inside of their robotic prison.

Meanwhile, on the outside, Knuckles ran toward the robot and spun, turning himself into a drill and plowed into the side of the robot, right where Nikki was cutting through on the other side.

Knuckles scanned and noticed they were getting close and stopped spinning, he leapt away from the robot as the lasers came in to try and hit him.

Nikki stopped spinning and landed next to the terrified meerkat. "Hold on and don't let go." She then picked up the kid and spun again. She bounced off the wall across from the weakened spot her and Knux created and with one last hit, the metal shattered and both kids were free.

The crack in the robot's armor expanded and the robot's structure failed, causing it to fall apart.

Nikki was still holding the young meerkat, who breathed a huge sigh of relief after his rescue. "You-You saved me, thank you." Suddenly the meerkat's eyes widened when he actually got a better look at his savior. "Gosh, you're pretty."

At that last remark, Nikki dropped the meerkat and he fell to the floor. "Ow!"

"You kids alright?" Knuckles asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." Nikki answered.

"Me too." The meerkat said as he stood up and brushed himself off. His tan fur was almost completely covered in oil from the robot.

The echidna laughed. "Well, that's good." He then crossed his arms and looked at the boy. "So, where you from Kid?"

"Huh, well now that mention it, I really don't remember." With an innocent look about him, the kid started to think. "The last place I stayed at was the old train station."

That was when Knuckles and Nikki realized that this kid had been living on his own for a while. Not only that, like so many kids in this time, had no family to go to.

"You mean, you have no where to stay for the night?" Nikki asked. There was a slight worried tone in her voice. She knew what this kid must be going through.

"Well, not right now. I did spot an overturned car about three miles back that would work. But that rust bucket came out of nowhere and chased me down."

Both of them couldn't believe how innocent this kid sounded about sleeping by himself out in dangerous territory in an overturned car, like it was just another ordinary day.

Nikki gave the echidna a look and Knuckles recognized it right away. "Oh no, I don't think so."

"But I didn't even say anything yet." She then looked at the little boy. "Excuse us for minute, don't go anywhere."

"No problem." he smiled.

Nikki practically dragged Knuckles further away from the kid until she was out of ear shot and whispered. "Come on Knux, we can't just leave him out here, he's just a kid."

"That's what the orphanage is for. Besides, we can't take him back to base. It's location is supposed to be a secret."

"Knuckles, the nearest orphanage is clear on the other side Former Station Square. And the one I went to is just a bit farther than our base. Look, lets at least take him back toward our base and when we stop to take a break, you can ask Tails and see if it's okay if he stays with us for a little while."

Knuckles sighed and shook his head, that was the signal to Nikki that she almost convinced him and all he needed was one more push. "Come on, please Knuckles." The young hedgehog batted her eyes.

_Ugh, not the eyes. Damn. _The echidna rolled his eyes, defeated. "Alright."

"Thanks, Knux."

"Yeah, yeah. Lets just tell the kid already."

Knuckles and Nikki walked over to the young meerkat, who was sitting on an overturned mailbox waiting for them to come back.

"So kid, you wanna come with us?" the echidna asked without any enthusiasm.

"Where you guys headin'?" The meerkat asked.

"Toward the Great Mobian Mountains." Nikki answered.

"Hmm, never been there. Sure." The happy go lucky meerkat then jumped down from the mail box. "The name's Crash Meerkat by the way. I probably should've introduced myself earlier."

"It's all good. My name's Nikki and 'Sir Grump-a-lot' over here is Knuckles."

Knuckles shot Nikki an irritated look. "Really?"

* * *

On the way back to base, Knuckles gave Tails a call and he agreed with Nikki and allowed Crash to stay for the night.

That same night, about 2 a.m., Nikki heard a familiar yell outside her room. The little Chao hid under the covers in his bed and shook. "It's alright, Night."

She then jumped out of her hammock and walked out into the hall. Tails and Cream were up as well and were about to head up stairs to where they heard the sound.

"Nikki, was that you?" Tails asked her with a slightly confused tone.

"Um, no. Absolutely not." She answered as she shot a confused look back.

He then looked toward the door at the far end of the hall. "It must be the new kid then."

A worried look came over Cream. "Oh, the poor thing. Probably had a nightmare."

Nikki reassured them. "Don't worry, I got it. You guys go back to sleep."

"You sure?" Tails asked.

"It's no big deal, I used to help the younger kids all the time at the orphanage. I can handle it."

"Alright, if you're sure."

The young hedgehog nodded back and then dashed to the end of the hall, her young Chao in toe. She opened the door and barely peaked into the room. "…Crash? You okay?" Not hearing an answer, Nikki walked inside. She looked around the room, but didn't see the young meerkat. "Crash?"

Suddenly, she heard a bump coming from under the bed followed by a yelp. "Ow!"

Nikki laughed inside herself and then lifted up the covers while trying to suppress it. "Crash, what are doing under here?" Without getting an answer, the hedgehog shook her head. "Alright, scoot over. I'm coming in."

Nikki then slipped in from the side of the bed until she was right next to him. "So, what's buggin' ya?"

The young meerkat glanced at her, he then pointed to the closet across the room. "Th-There's a monster in there."

Nikki suppressed another laugh. _The old 'monster in the closet'. I know just how to handle this one._

"Hmm, well that's odd. I would've expected it to be under your bed, I mean it's so dark under here and everything."

The young meerkat's eyes widened and he zipped out from under the bed and under the covers on his bed. Unexpectedly, Night dashed under the covers as well.

_Well, that got him out from under the bed at least._ She then pulled herself out from under the bed and leaned against the side of it. "Crash, there's no monster under your bed. I was there with you, remember?"

"B-but the closet."

Nikki sighed. "Alright." She then walked over to the nightstand and pulled out a flashlight. Cream always made sure there was on in every room in case of a blackout, so Nikki already knew it would be there. She then offered it to Crash. "Here."

The young meerkat and the Chao peeked their heads out from under the covers, but just a little. "Huh?"

"Well, if there is a monster in there, I'll need both hands to take it out. I can't hold a flashlight and fight at the same time."

This was all a part of Nikki's strategy. She knew from experience that if she simply just checked the closet, the kid would never have the confidence to check himself the next time he's scared.

Crash gently takes the flashlight from Nikki's hand and the hedgehog began walking toward the closet. "Now, I'll go in first to make sure it's safe. Be sure to keep that flashlight steady."

"O-okay."

The hedgehog continued forward and opened the cracked closet door. The light from the flashlight began to shake violently. "Crash, I'm not going to be able to see anything if you don't keep the light still."

"Sorry." He then steadied his hand and light stopped shaking.

Nikki peeked inside and looked around, making it look as theatrical as possible. "Okay, it's safe. But I still can't see very well through all this stuff. Think you can bring the light closer."

The young meerkat nodded and came out from under the covers and walked a little closer. Night flew just a little bit behind him, hiding behind his shoulder.

"Nah, still no good. I need more light."

Crash stepped a little bit closer. He took a deep breath as he took yet another step toward the closet.

"Okay, nothing so far. I better check the top shelf just to be safe. I'll need you to get just a bit closer so that the light can reach, okay?"

The young meerkat took another deep breath. "Alright." He then walked up until he was right at the doorway of the closet, though he was ready to bolt if he needed to.

Nikki climbed up to the top shelf and looked around. She checked behind the boxes, making it look like she was really looking for a monster hiding on the top shelf. "Nope, no monster in here." She then leapt down and landed easily on the floor.

"He he, sorry Nikki. I'm such a scaredy cat." Crash said sheepishly.

"What, nonsense. Even though you thought there was a monster in there, you still were brave enough to have my back. You're pretty brave, Crash."

"Really, you think I'm brave?"

"Sure I do."

"But…I'm practically afraid of my own shadow. There's no way I'm brave like you."

"Let me let you in on a little secret." She then leaned in to whisper. "The truth is, just because you're brave it doesn't mean you're not scared. In fact, the bravest thing you can do, is face your fears head on. And you did just that, Crash."

Crash smiled. "Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?"

"Yep." Nikki nodded. She then walked toward the door, but looked back. "Do you need anything else? You think you'll be alright?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Oh, wait Nikki?"

"Yeah?"

The young meerkat smiled. "Thanks."

Nikki smiled back. "No problem."

* * *

Author's Note: Looks like the new team is starting to come together. And this actually is one of my favorite chapters in the series. I actually have many favorites, but I like this one because it shows the side of Nikki that we see in Sonic with young Tails.

Who will join the team next, find out in the next Chapter of Sonic's Legacy.

To see Update information, check my Profile :)


	6. Chapter 23: Born and Born Again

Yay! Here's Chapter 23 :)

This was also one of the chapters I was just dying to write.

Thanks to all those that reviewed. :)

As always, Enjoy :)

* * *

_**Chapter 23: Born and Born Again**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

After hearing about an Exus Carrier wreck, Nikki and Tails went to investigate and to possibly obtain some parts for some equipment.

"How about this Tails?" Nikki asked as she picked up a strange contraption.

"That's perfect, its-" The fox was interrupted by the hover craft's radio. "Hold on a sec, I'll be right back."

As Tails hopped into the Cyclone 2 to take the call, Nikki still looked at the strange heap of metal in her hands, trying to make sense of it. "What the heck _is_ this thing?" She then shrugs her shoulders "Ah well, Tails says it's good, that's good enough for me."

Nikki suddenly heard Tails yell from the cockpit. "What?…Now?…Are you serious?…Okay, Nikki and I will be right there."

"What's up Tails?" Nikki asked with slight concern.

"It's time."

"Seriously?" She then placed the contraption in her backpack. "Then what are we still doing here? Lets go." She then swung the backpack over her shoulder and ran on ahead.

Tails started up the Cyclone 2 and it took off and caught up to Nikki. There wasn't enough room in the small silver aircraft for both of them and Nikki preferred to run there anyway, she was really excited.

"So, are you nervous?" Nikki asked with a smirk.

"Is it that obvious?" The fox certainly looked like he was.

"Don't worry, everything's gonna be fine." she reassured.

Tails let out a cleansing sigh. "I hope so."

Suddenly, something grabbed onto Nikki's leg, causing her to trip and come to a painful stop.

"Nikki!" Tails turned the craft around to fly back toward her.

As Nikki started to get up, her assailant showed himself. To her surprise it wasn't a robot, but a green and black hawk riding some kind of hover board. The wind surfer flew right by her, which Nikki found odd at first…until she noticed she was still tied to the aircraft. She realized this too late though and she was pulled by her leg and her head hit the ground hard as she was forcefully spun around.

Tails fired at the rope that held onto Nikki's leg releasing her from the hover board, but she was still knocked out. In order to protect her, Tails transformed the Cyclone 2 into fighting form. "Stay away from her!"

At that moment, three more Mobians riding Extreme Gear showed up. Two were birdlike, one a black bird and the other a brown and white falcon. The third was much smaller than the others, a young sugar glider that appeared to be at least six years old. They all began to circle around Tails and Nikki.

Tails kept focusing on all of them and growled under his breath as he held his hands over the controls. It was one thing to shoot down millions of robots, it was a completely different story shooting down living Mobians, innocent or not.

Tails hesitated. _I can't shoot them…they're all just kids…_

At the moment he hesitated, the falcon took that as his opportunity and shot some strange, dart like, mini missiles at the Cyclone 2. As soon as they hit the side of the Cyclone 2, the missiles sparked and flooded the craft with electricity. Tails threw his head back and yelled as he was violently shocked. The Cyclone 2 overloaded and collapsed to the ground.

* * *

"Nikki…Nikki, wake up."

"Umn…man Tails, I had the craziest dream. I dreamt we were kidnapped by a bunch of stupid, bird-brained-" She stopped as soon as she fully came to and saw they were surrounded by five birdlike Mobians. "…oh."

Tails and Nikki were tied back to back to one another, their legs were also tied at the ankles, preventing any escape.

The biggest of the group, a grey albatross leaned in just inches away from Nikki's face. "Wha' did you jus' call us?"

"Oh, I think you heard me, fish breath. Yeah seriously, ever heard of a breath mint?"

Tails' eyebrows raised a little at Nikki's remark. She was definitely just like her father, no doubt about that.

"Why, you little-!" Just as the albatross went pulled his fist back to punch, Tails leaned forward, forcing Nikki to lean back and avoid the attack. Since the albatross had put all his anger behind his punch, his whole body followed through and he fell to the ground. Tails cringed a little as he leaned back into a sitting position. _Damn, the shock must've short circuited the spinal vest._

The twin-tailed fox looked over his shoulder, strong sapphire eyes gleaming. "Don't even think about it."

"Well, who do we have here? Prower, still trying to follow 'Big Brother's' footsteps I see."

Tails recognized that voice and shot him a glare. "Jet Hawk, I see you're still the same as ever."

The jade hawk then looked to the young hedgehog. "And you must be Sonic's brat."

Nikki gave him an unimpressed look. "Wow, that's it? That's the best you can come with? Not much brains under that dust-feathered head of yours, is there?"

Jet also shot an unimpressed look to the hedgehog. "Yep, no mistake there. You and that blue pest _are_ related."

The hawk then shot a serious look over at Tails. "Now then, what exactly were you two doing at _my _Exus Carrier?"

Nikki giggled a little.

Jet leered at the girl. "What's so funny?"

"Excuse me, _your _Exus Carrier? Pretty sure I didn't see your name anywhere on that ship."

Tails eyes widened again, he knew exactly where this was going.

"That's it, I've had enough of your mouth. Havoc, shut her up."

"Gladly." The brown and grey eagle readied himself.

Tails was about to move when the black bird grabbed him by the shoulders and held him in place. "Not this time, hero."

The young hedgehog looked up at the eagle's black fist that was pulled back. As the fist came in closer, Nikki smirked. At that last moment, her bangs stiffened just like her spikes and the eagle's fist plowed right into them.

Havoc instantly pulled his hand back, yelling and cursing in pain. The eagle noticed the teenaged green and black hawk laugh under his breath. "Shut it, Zephyr!"

At that moment, Tails' radio in what was left of the Cyclone 2 started ringing. Havoc and the black bird gave each other a 'what the hell' look. Zephyr walked over and picked up the radio. "Hello?"

Suddenly, the radio's voice blared right into the hawk's ear. "MILES TAILS PROWER! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"That's Julie." Nikki whispered to Tails.

"Oh dear, I hope nothing's wrong." Tails said worryingly.

The hawk was about to respond when the echidna on the other line yelled. "Don't even try giving me excuses! I don't care if it's your first time or not! Your daughter is coming into this world and hell you should be here by now!"

Nikki and Tails look at each other wide eyed.

The poor teen hawk had no idea what to say, he was still shocked from the initial yell from before. "I-I-"

"Stop stuttering and get your ass over here!"

With that, Jet took the radio from Zephyr. "I'm afraid Miles is tied up at the moment."

"Now who the hell are you?" The radio asked rudely.

"Who _I am _is of no concern. If you ever want to see the fox and the hedgehog again, you will do _exactly_ as I say." The hawk threatened.

"What kind of $%$% monster are you? He's going to be a father and the other one is just a kid!"

"What the hell did you just call me you stupid %$&!"

Suddenly, the radio blared and cussed so loud that Tails could swear the speakers would blow out. In the midst of this, Tails thought it was the perfect distraction to allow them to escape.

He turned his head and whispered to the young hedgehog right behind him. "Nikki, you think you can cut us loose?"

"Tails, we're tied too close together. I could hurt you." She whispered back.

"At this point, I don't think I care. Just get us out of this."

"Hold on, let me try something." Nikki tried to maneuver her forearm so that the spike would be pointed downward instead of toward Tails. She then extended just the one spike on her arm and cut the rope without injuring Tails.

"Nice." Tails congratulated. He then looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them. "Okay, don't try and take off yet. We want to make sure we have a clean getaway."

Suddenly, an alarm in the Cyclone 2 went off.

Tails' eyes lowered. "…great."

Nikki looked back at him. "That doesn't sound good."

"What is that?" The lead hawk looked at Tails.

The fox answered. "That's my Exus Radar. It tracks down the energy that Exus robots give off. And the alarm only goes off when they get close."

"H-how close are they exactly?" The young sugar glider asked trying to hide the fear behind her voice.

Tails listened to the alarm for a minute.

"Answer the question!" Jet yelled.

"If you shut up for two seconds, I can." Tails retorted. He then listened again. "…five miles."

"Well, that's far enough. We'll be long gone before-" Jet had started walking toward the Cyclone 2 when Tails interrupted.

"No…four miles…three miles. They're closing in fast." Tails kept his eyes open, expecting the ambush to come in on all sides.

Jet turned to his group. "Get to the Extreme Gear, Now!"

But it was too late, right as he said 'now' the Exus robot was rushing into the clearing…right toward Nikki and Tails.

Thinking quickly, Tails pushed Nikki out of the way and rolled out of the robot's path, just in time for the robot's claw to come crashing down right where they had been.

Tails looked up and his heart nearly sank when he realized what it really was. The robot was another one of the members of the Elite, marked by the insignia on the left shoulder.

The fox tried to get up. "Ugn!" _That shock did more than just fry my spinal vest…I can barely move._

Jet's group scrambled to get to their Extreme Gear, but the robot was right in front of a few of them in a split second. The youngest in the group screamed as she was pinned to the ground.

"Gale!" Zephyr yelled back.

Out of instinct, Nikki got up and spun toward the robot. The Elite simply swatted her away like fly and sent her flying into the Cyclone 2.

The fox thought to himself. _Come on, Tails…think. _His eyes then guided him to Nikki's backpack that was laid down where one of the vandals had left it, just out of arm's reach.

Just as the robot was about to attack the young sugar glider, a beam of light blasted into the Elite's face. The robot seemed to cry out in agony as the metal on it's face burned and melted away. The Elite looked angrily at it's attacker…Tails had managed to grab the bag and braced himself against the wall of the building behind him. Still pointed at the Elite was the strange gizmo that Nikki had found earlier. It looked like a mini-cannon that was latched to his forearm.

Even while using the wall for support, Tails still looked like he was having trouble standing. "That's right…this is what you want…isn't it?" The fox then held up his arm and charged the cannon again, red lights vented from the sides of the device. "Then what are waiting for…come and get it!"

The Elite let out a bloodcurdling roar and rushed in at Tails at blinding speed. Tails fired and hit the robot again dead on, but it still advanced toward him without slowing down. It's claws extended and forcefully pinned the heroic fox against the concrete building. Only Tails was able to hear the sickening sound of his own ribs being crushed as the force of the Elite's speed and power smashed him into the wall. He wanted to let out a yell, but there was no longer air in his lungs to allow him to do so.

Nikki came to, just to see Tails' lifeless body still held against the wall by the murderous Elite.

Suddenly, the robot heard someone yell behind it.

"_**HEY! TRASH BREATH!"**_

Sensing a dramatic rise in energy, the Elite turned it's head almost completely around. There, surrounded by a surge of dark energy brought on by anger and fear for her guardian…was the young hedgehog.

"_**Big mistake."**_

In that split second, Nikki disappeared. She then suddenly reappeared, just inches away from the Elite's face. Nikki disappeared again and the robot was suddenly shoved by an invisible force that was powerful enough to pry Tails out of the wall, allowing him to fall to the ground. But the now sinister hedgehog didn't stop there. The invisible force plowed into the robot again and again. Deep slashes in the metal seemed to appear out of nowhere and the sound of slicing metal echoed in the air. The robot was then sliced in half and the top half was thrown over her shoulder and clear through another building wall. The Elite gave one last spark and the completely shut down.

As the dust began to settle, Nikki's figure formed about ten feet away from the mangled wreck of an Elite. The dust cleared with the exception of a few specks that still floated in the air, revealing the young hedgehog in her true blue color. She was breathing heavily, not only did she hate the fact of losing control, she was physically and mentally exhausted from the whole ordeal.

Her eyes traveled and met Tails' broken body in the distance. She then dashed forward and knelt at his side.

She gave him a light shake on the shoulder. "Tails…Tails, wake up."

The young hedgehog felt tears coming to her eyes, but she shook them off and then tried again. "Come on, Tails. Don't do this to me."

_No…please no…_

She felt a staggered breath escape her. She allowed her head to hang forward and grabbed the dirt and gravel beneath her fingers.

_This isn't fair...He was going to be a father...Chaos, this isn't fair._

The group of vandals looked on for a moment, then the sound of an Extreme Gear lifting from the ground made them look behind them.

"Come on guys…" Jet then turned around. "Let's go."

Most of the group followed, all except the six year old sugar glider that saw something shining in the distance that caught her eye.

When he noticed that Gale wasn't following them, Zephyr looked back. He really wished that he didn't. He caught a glimpse of Nikki and Tails. He shifted his gaze to look at Gale, who had just picked up the glowing object that was hiding in the Cyclone 2.

"That's a…"

After seeing this, Zephyr flew forward and put himself in the group's path. "Hold It!"

The group stopped and Jet looked furiously at the teenage hawk. His eyes creased forward as he yelled. "Zeph, what are you doing?"

"We have to go back down there and help them, it's our fault they're in this mess!"

"I'm warning you, out of my way!" Jet nearly growled.

Zephyr then looked to his comrades. "Come on guys, I can't believe you guys could leave them like this. This is low…" He then shot a look toward Jet. "…even for you."

"You dare talk to _me _that way? I am the leader of this group and what I say goes!"

"They saved us, they were free! They could've easily left us there to die with that thing and escape but they didn't! Doesn't that mean something to any of you!" Zephyr reasoned.

Now Jet was really frustrated and losing his temper. "That's it, I've had enough-!"

This time, Zephyr cut him off. "No _**Dad! I've**_ had enough!" He then started to fly back toward the Cyclone 2.

"_**Zephyr Sparrow Hawk!"**_

The teenage hawk stopped and hovered for a moment to hear what his father had to say.

"If you leave right now…don't even think about coming back."

Now, it was Zephyr's turn to lose his temper. He whipped around and yelled. "Well, don't expect me to come back! 'Cause I QUIT!"

He then flew off and yelled back one last time. "And good luck finding another swift rider and mechanic!"

Back at the fallen city, Nikki was still frozen in the same spot next to Tails. She suddenly felt a light tug on her shirt, but then felt a painful shock where she was touched and pulled away slightly.

She barely heard the young voice next to her. " 'Scuse me, Miss hedgehog lady…"

Nikki just barely glanced into the kid's eyes, she then mumbled. "Look sorry kid, I'm not in the-" Her eyes suddenly met the glowing object in Gale's hands. Her eyebrows raised, but only a little. "…mood. A…Chaos Emerald?"

"Mmm hmm, My mommy told me that they can grant wishes…maybe, they can help Mr. Power."

Normally, Nikki would think this kid was too cute and would've laughed at getting Tails' name wrong, but due to recent events she really wasn't feeling up to it. She was aware of the stories, her father had used all seven Chaos Emeralds to save the world countless times. But there was one difference between then and now.

Nikki's eyes fell shut at what she remembered. "Sorry…I can't."

Feeling the kid's curious look through her closed eyes, she answered. "I can't use Chaos Emeralds."

Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. "And why not?"

Nikki recognized it, but refused to look behind her. "Believe me, if I did…I wouldn't be doing anyone any favors."

The green and black hawk spoke up louder. "So, that's it. Just because you never tried something before, you're just gonna give up? Just like that?"

_Wait…give up…is that what I'm doing right now?…giving up?_

"Zeph's right, you never know 'less you try." The little girl reasoned.

It was truly strange to the hedgehog, hearing the same thing she would've said to someone else in this situation, coming from a six year old kid she didn't even know. _Guess even heroes need a pep talk some of the time._

_Jodi said that if I tried using a Chaos Emerald, I could turn myself into Nikki confetti. She's never been wrong before. But that's if I was using the power for myself, right? I mean, she didn't say anything about what would happen if I released that energy all at once._

Nikki then glanced back at the young sugar glider, who was waiting for her to answer her. She took a deep cleansing breath, knowing full well the risk she was about to take on. "Alright…put the Chaos Emerald on the ground."

The little girl did as she was told. Nikki then looked to Zephyr. "You both might wanna step back. I don't think you should be here in case something goes wrong."

"What do you mean by that exactly?" Zephyr asked as he crossed his arms.

"I mean, if this goes wrong, we could end up in the center of another Ground Zero."

Zephyr's eyes widened at that response. Everyone that was old enough to understand, knew what Ground Zero was. It was the event that started this whole mess, the explosion that not only did Sonic die in, but leveled everything in a five mile radius.

He nodded. "Right." He then motioned for Gale to move away as well and he walked with her away from the scene. "Come on, lets give her some space."

After they were far enough away, Nikki placed her left hand on Tails' chest. She took a deep breath and readied herself to grab the Chaos Emerald with her other hand. The sky blue emerald reacted and glowed brightly as she reached for it, she hadn't even touched it yet and she could feel the sudden spark shock her finger tips.

_Keep it together…no matter what happens…just keep it together._

She quickly closed her eyes and grabbed the emerald in her hand. The energy sparked and surged up Nikki's arm. In that split second, Nikki could feel her heart begin to race. The arm that held the emerald became white hot and she let out a short yell, but she quickly recovered and sent the energy through her other arm and into Tails. As soon as the energy hit Tails' chest, the white light became brighter and enveloped the two.

Nikki looked around her and saw the brilliant golden lights that surrounded her. Her spikes felt like they were free flowing upwards. She braved a look down toward Tails. To her surprise, his fur was glowing the same brilliant gold that was surrounding them both.

She gasped as she noticed her guardian's chest rise and fall. His eyes opened. If it was anymore possible, they shined brighter in a brilliant sparkling sapphire.

The light surrounding them dimmed, but only slightly, and still surrounded Tails. Nikki couldn't believe her eyes. Tails was alive, he was really alive.

Looking into her mist filled eyes, Tails asked. "Nikki?…You alright?"

The hedgehog laughed and held back tears at the same time. "Am _**I **_alright?" She then jumped into his arms.

The latter of the two embraced her back, the golden energy still shining in his fur.

Gale and Zephyr peeked from around the rubble they were hiding behind and saw Nikki and Tails in the distance.

As Nikki released her grip from Tails, she cringed as she felt searing pain in her right arm. Her glove was tattered and torn and her whole arm was burned all the way up to her shoulder. It was the same arm that was the first to touch the Chaos Emerald.

Tails noticed and a worried look came over him. "Oh Chaos, Nikki. What-?"

She chuckled through clinched teeth. "He he, yeah well. At least I didn't blow up."

"You didn't." He then looked at the Chaos Emerald on the ground, it was completely drained. His worried gaze then returned to the young hedgehog. "Why? You could've been killed."

"You were dead Tails, what was I supposed to do, just sit there?"

"If something happens to me, that's bad. But if something happens to you-" Tails' voice then trailed off. He couldn't even envision what would've happened if he woke up to find out that Nikki had suffered that fate.

Nikki hadn't realized how much Tails really did worry about her. "…sorry."

The fox let out a huge sigh. "No, I'm sorry. You saved me. I should be thanking you, not lecturing you." He then took Nikki's arm gently, the hedgehog still cringed even though Tails barely touched her burned hand.

The golden aura from Tails traveled into Nikki's arm and surrounded it. She felt the pain subside and as the light faded, her arm was completely healed. The light around Tails disappeared as well and he was returned to his normal form.

"Thanks. Guess this makes us even, huh?" Nikki replied jokingly as she moved her hand and noticed the pain had disappeared.

Tails chuckled. "You're like a daughter to me, I will always help you if you need me."

That was the first time that Nikki had ever heard that from Tails…_He thinks of me…as his daughter?_

Suddenly, Zephyr and Gale walked up and the hawk cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt, but isn't there somewhere you two need to be? I'm pretty sure I was chewed out for it over the radio just thirty minutes ago."

Tails and Nikki remembered at the same time. "Cream!"

"Oh Chaos, I can't believe I forgot!"

Nikki laughed and looked at the father to be. "At least you have an excuse."

Tails' eyes traveled toward the Cyclone 2, when he saw it's condition he shook his head. "How on Mobius are we gonna get there? The Cyclone 2 is a wreck."

"Leave that to us. Gale and I can get you there, no problem." Zephyr volunteered.

Nikki gave them a confused look. "But you guys only have two hover boards."

Zephyr's eyes creased forward. "Extreme Gear. It's called Extreme Gear."

The hedgehog then corrected herself. "Okay, okay, Extreme Gear got it. Gesh."

"Anyway, Gale and I can hitch two of the smaller engines from your craft and can pull you two with the Extreme Gear. We've done it before."

Tails thought for a minute. "That'll work."

"Great." Zephyr then turned to the young sugar glider. "Gale, get started. I'll be there in a minute."

The young sugar glider nodded and ran toward the craft. Zephyr then looked back at Tails. "You need a hand?"

Tails started to sit up. "I might, just let me try and-" The fox suddenly stopped, his eyes widened.

Nikki gave him a slightly worried look. "What? What's wrong?"

The fox laughed a little. "Nothing." He then sat all the way up with no effort. "The pain…from the plane crash…it's completely gone."

Nikki smiled. "Seriously?"

Tails nodded and then stood completely up. It was so effortless for him now, he hadn't felt this great in seven years. To test his movement even further, he flicked his namesakes and spun them. He then took off into the air and laughed at this achievement. "Yes!"

Zephyr had absolutely no idea that Tails could even do this and his jar dropped. "He-he can fly? What the hell?"

Nikki laughed in response.

* * *

After they detached to engines from the Cyclone 2, Tails used a small blow torch to weld a long piece of metal that was the size of an Extreme Gear to each one.

"Well, that should do it." Tails said as he wiped his brow.

"What about the rest of the Cyclone 2?" Nikki asked.

Tails looked at the mangled plane. "We'll come back for it later. We have a schedule to keep."

Nikki nodded.

Zephyr started his Extreme Gear. "What are we waiting for? Lets get moving."

Gale turned hers on and jumped on. Tails jumped on the makeshift hover board tied behind Zephyr's board, while Nikki jumped on the one tied behind Gale's.

"Here we go." The hawk called back and they took off. "Okay, now you guys still have to steer, Gale and I will keep you guys moving forward."

"Got it." Tails responded.

They continued forward for a while, when suddenly a massive gust of air blew down on top of them.

"What the hell is that?" Zephyr yelled.

Tails looked up and saw the familiar large craft. "It's the X Hurricane!" He yelled over the wind.

"Chaos, how many planes do you have?" The hawk yelled back.

The large airship followed them as the continued to head forward. A voice came in over the loud speaker. "Tails, Nikki, you both alright?"

"That's Gyro!" Nikki yelled over the wind.

Tails turned on an earpiece that was in his ear. "Yeah we're fine, Gyro."

"You sure, Julie told me you were in trouble."

"We were, but not anymore. We're on our way back now." Tails and the team had a secret code that was so simple that anyone outside the group wouldn't understand. If Tails was really in trouble, he would've repeated the word 'trouble' in that sentence. But since he didn't, Gyro knew that Tails was telling the truth and didn't need rescuing.

"Alright, I'll start to head back too then."

"Actually there is one thing, I left something back in Sector 4. You'll know it when you see it."

"Right, I'll pick it up." The X Hurricane took off back into the direction that Tails and the others came from.

Tails then turned to the others. "Gyro's going to pick up what's left of the Cyclone 2 and bring it back to base."

"That's good." Nikki nodded.

"Alright Tails, now which way?" The hawk asked.

"You wanna head straight into the forest, then when I say so, take a right and head straight up the mountain side."

Nikki gave Tails a confused look. "But Tails, that's not the way in."

"Not the way you're used to, there's another way into New Albion, but you need to fly to get there."

"Got it, straight then right." The two Extreme boarders sped up and pulled the two passenger boards along.

* * *

As soon as they got to New Albion, the group jumped off their boards. Tails and Nikki ran down the hall while the two Extreme Boarders placed their boards in a safe corner of the hall and then followed.

Tails turned the corner and stopped just inches away from Julie, who was walking down the hall to meet them. "I'm here, what did I miss? Am I late?"

Julie answered him. "No, but you might want to get in there."

Nikki looked at him. "Go ahead, I'll wait out here for the others."

"Thanks." He then continued down the hall, but before turning the corner he yelled back. "I'll tell Cream you're alright and I'll be back soon!"

Nikki smiled back at him and then leaned against the wall.

"Others?" Julie asked her.

"Just a couple kids we picked up while we were out." Nikki answered.

Just then, Zephyr and Gale caught up with Nikki and tried to catch their breath. "Did he make it?" Zephyr asked between breaths.

Julie answered him. "Yes. He's in there right now."

Suddenly, Zephyr recognized Julie's voice as being the angry lady on the radio and he froze up.

_Oh crap, it's her._

The female echidna gave him a confused look. "You feeling alright, kid?"

"Eep, Yes Ma'am. I'm fine, just fine." _Please don't yell at me._

Now Julie was really confused.

Nikki and Gale couldn't help but giggle in the background.

"I've never seen Zeph act like _that_ before." Gale pointed out.

Nikki tried to suppress her laughter even more. "Can't breathe."

A voice echoed down the hall. "Julie, they need you back here!"

"Coming Hun!" She then turned to the kids. "You're more than welcome to wait in the room behind you if you want. We'll come back and get you later."

"Alright, thanks Julie." Nikki smiled.

With that, Julie left and ran down the hall and around the corner.

Nikki turned to the other two in hall with her as she opened the door. "Well come on in. We've all had a long day, I'm sure you guys wanna sit down."

"Ah we're used to standing around, but this time, I think we'll make an exception." The hawk said as he walked into the room. The young sugar glider walked in close behind.

The room itself was spacious. It was more like large living room than a waiting room. There was no one else in there, but there was what appeared to be an intercom on the side of the wall.

It didn't take long at all for the youngest of the group to fall asleep in the cushioned love seat that was next to the couch. Zephyr looked at her, shook his head and smiled as he stood leaning on the arm of the couch. "Man, I would give anything to be that naïve again."

"Hmm?" Nikki was sitting on the couch, her legs propped up on the coffee table. She didn't quite get Zephyr's comment.

"Oh, I mean Gale. She still so young that despite everything that happened today, she's still…well a kid. While me…" The hawk paused for a minute, but continued. "After everything I've seen, I could never think that way again."

He then laughed a little. "I'm actually surprised she walked up to you in the first place. She's usually so damn shy."

"You care about her a lot, do you?" Nikki asked with a smile.

He sighed. "Yeah, she reminds me of my little sister."

"You have a little sister?"

Zephyr's voice became hollow. "I did."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"No, no. It's okay, I brought it up. To tell you the truth, my father is the only family I have left. We've…never seen eye to eye if you know what I mean."

Nikki nodded.

"What you did back there, for that guy…man, you seriously thought everything was going to go all nuclear if it didn't work. So, why did you do it?"

Nikki looked at him. Her eyes shined brilliant emerald. "If that was Gale, wouldn't you have done the same thing?"

Zephyr gave her a smile. "In a heartbeat."

Nikki smiled back. "If it counts for anything. That was a brave thing you did back there. Leaving your team like that."

"So, you did hear that huh? Guess those ears do more than make you look cute."

Nikki's eyes creased forward. "Don't _ever_ call me cute."

Zephyr laughed. "Okay, okay, I take it back. And thanks, that does mean a lot. I'm still wondering if what I did was the right thing."

"You did what you knew was right, that's all that matters. And who knows, maybe if you talk to your Dad again-"

Zephyr gave a sarcastic laugh. "Now look who's being naïve. No, there is no compromise when it comes to my dad. He's like a volcano, it can take years for him to cool off."

"Well, you and Gale are more than welcome to stay with us." Nikki offered.

"You mean it, after what I did to you with the whole tripping you at 300 miles an hour thing?"

Nikki's eyes creased forward. "I thought that was you." She then lightly socked him in the arm. "There, now we're even."

Zephyr scoffed. "Hardly. I owe you and Tails two times over."

Nikki gave him a confusing look. The hawk continued. "You both saved our lives back there. After what you and Tails did for Gale, I will follow you."

"Zeph, you don't owe us anything. Saving lives is what we do and-"

He then held up his hand to interrupt her. "It's my decision."

Suddenly, the door opened and Julie peeked in. The hawk's eyes widened and he looked away and whistled.

"Nikki, Tails sent me to come get you."

Nikki nodded. "Okay." She then looked back at Zephyr, who replied with a light smile. "Go on, go meet your sister."

She smiled back and then walked over toward the door. "Good night Zeph." She then walked out of the room.

* * *

_**Narrator: Sonica (Nikki)**_

I had to admit, I was a little nervous as I walked toward the room Cream had been staying in. My hand reached for the handle and I gently pushed the door open. The room was white, no surprise there. My eyes Tails' gaze as I entered.

"Nikki, come in." Tails whispered.

Cream then looked at me and said. "Come met your new sister."

_My sister…_

I already knew that Tails thought of me as a daughter, but to hear that Cream felt the same way, I was truly touched. I walked over to them and looked at the bundle that Cream held in her arms. It was a baby fox, but her fur was cream colored just like her mother. She had three bangs that looked exactly like Tails'. As I looked at her I noticed that it wasn't a blanket she was wrapped in, but her own tails. That's right, tails. In my head, I counted. _One…two…wait, three. Three tails?_

The young kit then opened her eyes and looked at me. They were that same brilliant blue that Tails had. "She's beautiful." I said out loud.

Tails and Cream nearly laughed, but still kept their voices down.

"What's her name?" I asked.

"Well, we were thinking Trinity." Cream answered.

"That's perfect."

"That's what I said." Tails laughed.

"Hi Trinity, I'm your big sister." Little Trinity giggled and I couldn't help but laugh along with her.

Meeting Trinity was one of the greatest moments of my life. Of all the days I would remember…that day, that moment, was one that I will never forget.

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

A week passed and Zephyr and Gale had become acquainted with the rest of the Freedom Fighters.

That weekend, Zephyr decided to try and teach Nikki and Crash how to use Extreme Gear. Gale as well as himself had built them boards for them to try and Nikki was actually getting the hang of it. They were flying over the forest, about 20 feet above the tree line.

"How's this!" Nikki then leveled the board and then lifted the back and olied.

"That's it, you got it!" Zephyr congratulated. "You're really getting the hang of this!" He then looked back at the young meerkat. "Looking good, Crash! Keep it up!"

"Thanks Zeph!" The young meerkat called toward the hawk in front. "I'm having a-" All of a sudden, board that Crash was riding on broke clean in half. "blast…" The young meerkat then start free falling toward the ground. "AHHH!"

"Crash!" Nikki maneuvered her board downward right behind him. She then quickly grabbed the meerkat, but almost slipped off the board herself. The hedgehog grabbed the edge of the board and held on.

The hedgehog looked at the meerkat below her. "Crash, you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks Nikki, I thought I was a goner."

Zephyr and Gale arrived on the scene. "What happened?"

Nikki managed to pull herself up and was starting to pull up Crash when he answered. "My board just split clean in half."

The hawk gave a confusing look. "What? That's impossible, there's no welding point in the center of the board."

"Well, it did." Crash insisted.

"Extreme Gear, just doesn't fall apart that way. You'd have to have some serious bad luck for that to happen."

"I Do Not Have Bad Luck!" As Crash yelled, he slammed his fist down on the power button to Nikki's board. The light blinked a few times and then turned off.

"Oh…crap." Was all Nikki had time to say before they both started falling. But they were already close to the tree line and they crashed into the trees below. Nikki looked over at the meerkat across from her, who was upside down supported by branches. Her look was un-impressed, apparently something like this had happened before. "Crash, you owe me a new board."

"I know." Crash sighed. He then gave her sheepish smile. "Can't I just take you out on a date instead?"

Nikki was completely socked by his question. "What? No!"

* * *

Author's Note: Wow, what a crazy chapter.

More secrets will be revealed and a mysterious stranger comes into play. Next Chapter of Sonic's Legacy.

For Update information, check profile. :)


	7. Chapter 24: Dark

Yay! Chapter 24 is finally done!

Thanks sonicathehedgehog and CapricePrower for reviewing :)

And I'm so excited you're reading my story Caprice :)

Anyway, you guys have waited long enough for this chapter...

so, Enjoy! :)

* * *

_**Chapter 24: Dark**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

_Pure as the morning star_

_Ever strong and brave of heart_

_Young gentle wind, hear my call_

_Oh, young gentle wind, hear my call._

The young hedgehog stirred and opened her eyes slightly. _That song…the Master Emerald's calling me._

Nikki sat up and rubbed her eyes, she then looked at the clock that was on the wall. _Three am…what is up with that crystal and calling me this early in the morning anyway?_

The hedgehog shrugged her shoulders. "Ah well, better find out what's going on." She jumped out of bed and quietly ran down the hall. She then opened and closed the front door behind her.

The blue blur sped through the sleeping town of New Albion until she reached the familiar obelisk in the city's center. Without hesitation, she placed her hand on the obelisk and the staircase opened up below her. The young hedgehog swiftly ran down the steps until she made it to the base floor.

"You rang?" Nikki asked jokingly.

The emerald crystal spoke. _Humor. Good to see you're in good spirits. I apologize for waking you so early, this is the only time when everyone is asleep. You and the others still wish to keep this a secret from the council, as I remember._

The hedgehog walked toward the center of the room. "Yeah, that's right." Nikki then stopped when she got to the center of the room and crossed her arms. "So, what's this all about? Is something wrong?"

_It is I that should be asking you that, Sonica._

"What are you talking about?"

_Something is bothering you. You may be a natural at hiding it, but I can sense it is still there._

Nikki's eyebrows raised slightly.

_Do you…wish to talk about it? I may be able to help you._

The hedgehog shook her head. "Nah, it's nothing"

_You are the very reflection of your father, both in form and in spirit. I can tell that it is not 'nothing' that is bothering you._

Nikki took a deep breath, she then walked over to the alter and sat down on the steps.

_If you are worried about secrecy, whatever you say will never leave this alter._

The hedgehog was silent for a moment, she then spoke. "Last week…something happened…Something that I wasn't prepared for." She then laughed a little as she remembered. "Actually two things happened."

_You lost Tails for a moment, I sensed that. Tails is also an Emerald Guardian, so I knew when his soul had left and came back to you._

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out by the glowing fur." Nikki laughed. Her eyes then fell shut. "The other thing…when that did happen…when I thought I lost Tails…I lost myself too."

The hedgehog felt a shiver down her spine as she remembered. "I mean it's happened before, but this time it was different. I had no control over it…I didn't remember where Tails was…where _I _was…The only thing I was focused on was tearing that robot apart…and the worst of it was…I remembered that I didn't care if anything got in my way…" She then looked at her feet. "If I did anything to hurt anyone that happened to be standing there, I never would forgive myself."

_There is something you should know about yourself…something that I should've told you when I first met you…but I feared you wouldn't understand it at the time. But first, I wish to show you something._

"Great, not the cave wall light show again." Nikki rolled her eyes.

The emerald seemed to have laughed at Nikki's sarcasm. _No, not that…look behind you, toward me._

The hedgehog's glanced over her shoulder, but her eyes widened as a bright, shining light came from the crystal. A silhouette formed and began to take a couple steps down the alter. Then, the true form of the spirit began to reveal itself. Sapphire eyes looked directly at her, spikes free flowed spiritually and seemed as weightless as the wind. The spiritual echidna then stepped closer, until she was just a few steps away from Nikki.

"So, this is what you really look like?" The hedgehog asked still wide eyed.

_For me, yes. I am Tikal, one of the spirits that live within the Master Emerald and your guide to becoming an Emerald Guardian._

"Wait a minute…" Nikki thought out loud. "Tikal was one of the names on the obelisk outside the temple."

Tikal nodded.

"So, are those the names of all the Emerald Guardians?"

_Yes. Every Emerald Guardian that has ever existed, has their name carved into that obelisk._

"I saw my father's name carved in that stone. Is he…is he there with you?" She couldn't help but ask, the young hedgehog thought that it would be a chance to be able to talk to her father.

_I'm not sure. Though I am a part of it, I know not of all the souls that reside within the Master Emerald._

"Oh, I see."

_If you look closely, you will also recognize a few more names on the obelisk, two in particular._

"Tails and Knuckles, right? At least, that's the only other two I know so far."

_Those are the only two Emerald Guardians that are currently of this world, aside from you and Lara-Su. Both of your names are not on the obelisk, because you are not Emerald Guardians…at least not yet._

The apparition then continued. _Sonica, remember when you first arrived here, when you first felt the power of the Master Emerald?_

"Well, yeah I remember."

_That day, the darkness inside you was able to manifest itself in this reality…using your shadow._

The hedgehog's eyes slightly widened as she remembered.

_I am not sure of how that darkness came to be, however it is clear that it is a part of you. You have already found a way to deal with it before. That same power lies within you as well and you found that out all on your own. For that, I am proud of you._

Nikki smiled.

_However, there will come a time when you will lose control of yourself again. In these dark times, that is unavoidable. But you must remember, you have your father's will and strength as well as your own. Also, you always will have my help, as long as you ask for it._

The apparition then laughed. _Although, from what I know of you, you are always so insistent to figure out the solution on your own. As always, it is your sole decision whether or not to take my advice to heart._

Tikal then took a few steps back toward the crystal. _I'm afraid this is all I can offer you for now. If there is anything that you need, you can always call me. You do remember how to call me, right?_

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, the song. I remember."

_Take care, young one._

The spirit disappeared and the crystal returned to its normal, stable glow.

* * *

The next day, Nikki explained everything that happened that night to Tails, Knuckles, and Lara-Su.

"So, Tikal is your guide?" Knuckles asked curiously.

Nikki nodded. "Yep."

"Well, that would make sense…" Tails thought out loud. "She was Sonic's guide, so it's only natural that she would be yours as well."

The hedgehog looked to Knuckles. "So, how does this work? Does each Emerald Guardian have their own guide? She didn't have much time to explain all that to me."

The echidna answered. "Well, that depends. Mine is my great grandfather, Athair."

"That's who mine is." Su chimed in.

"Tails, what about you?" Nikki asked curiously.

"Well, I've never met mine. I mean, I've seen Tikal before, but that was when Chaos went on a rampage. At that time, everyone saw her, so I'm not sure."

Knuckles then started to laugh, both Nikki and Su gave the echidna a weird look.

"I don't get it, what's so funny?" Su asked as she looked at her friend.

The hedgehog replied. "Don't ask me, he's your dad."

Knuckles stopped laughing for a minute. "Tails, you forget. You've met Athair too, remember?"

Tails suddenly remembered and his eyes lowered. "Knux, it's not funny."

"Yes it was, you jumped clean out of your fur."

"I was eight, Knuckles. How did you think I would react to a guy that appeared out of nowhere."

"That's no big deal." Nikki shrugged her shoulders.

Tails then looked to the young hedgehog. "All he had was his head."

Both girls then looked at each other wide eyed. The hedgehog then asked the girl next to her. "Did he look like that to you?"

"Nope, he was all there when I saw him."

Wanting to change the subject, Tails interrupted. "Anyway, lets get back to the other situation. I think it's about time we start training you two in Chaos Energy."

"Are you sure they're not too young?"

"Knux, you started training for this when you were at least half their age. At least that's what Lara-Le told me."

"She told you what?" Knuckles then sighed as his eyes lowered. "Great, thanks Mom."

"Knuckles, this is important. Especially when it comes to Nikki. Without the proper training, she could severely injure herself using Chaos Energy."

Nikki slightly cringed as she remembered what Tails was referring to. "Yeah, third degree burns, not fun."

"Alright, alright. I do agree with you there, but what about the new recruits? We still need to train them too."

Tails thought for a moment. "Good point. Okay, you start training Nikki and Su in controlling the flow of Chaos Energy. In the meantime, I'll come up with a plan for training all four of the kids together."

Knuckles nodded. "Sounds good." He then turned to the girls. "Alright you two, lets get started."

Nikki smirked. "Sweet, finally."

* * *

After their conversation, Knuckles took the girls to the training area near the underground track.

He reached into the back of his quills. "Okay, so with Chaos Energy you really need to understand one thing…It's extremely powerful and unpredictable."

The echidna took out the light blue Chaos Emerald. He noticed Nikki's eyes widened for a moment, but saw her immediately shake it off and continued. "Think of it like a camp fire. When controlled, it's calm but it still can't be manipulated easily."

Knuckles took in some of the energy from the Chaos Emerald and an aura formed around him. He then focused the aura into his right hand. "Even if you manage to keep that energy in one place, it still tries to escape in all directions."

He then looked at the two girls. "…and if it does manage to escape…" The echidna aimed for one of the fighting dummies and fired. The aura shot out of his hand and burned the target. Both girls looked wide eyed at the burning dummy then their eyes returned to their teacher.

"Get the idea?"

Nikki already knew about this, she learned the hard way what untamed Chaos Energy can do if allowed to run wild. But for Su's sake, she just nodded along with the young echidna.

"Good." Knuckles then reached into his quills and took out a violet Chaos Drive. "Nikki." He then tossed the Chaos Drive to the young hedgehog, who caught it with no effort. "You first."

She nodded and then started taking in the Chaos Energy from the drive. The Chaos Drive glowed brightly and the light began to surround her.

"Okay, now try and put the energy back into the Chaos Drive. Then try and only take in a little at a time."

Nikki tried to funnel the energy back into the Chaos Drive, but as she did so, the drive shined even brighter and a beam of light shot out the end of it toward the ceiling. "Whoa!"

Blinded by the light, Nikki released the Chaos Drive and it fell to the floor. As soon as she let it go, the light vanished and the drive returned to it's normal state.

After regaining focus, Knuckles turned to the young hedgehog. "Nikki, when I said to put the Chaos Energy back into the drive, I didn't mean all at once."

The hedgehog laughed. "Whoops, ha ha. Guess that needs a little work."

"You mean, you were actually _trying_ to slow it down?"

"Yeah, but once I sent the energy through, I couldn't. Looks like I'll have to practice that."

"Okay, Su. Now it's your turn." Knuckles then tossed the Chaos Emerald to the young echidna, who managed to catch it.

"Try and take in the energy from the Chaos Emerald, but be careful. I don't think we need another light show."

Nikki laughed again at that remark.

Su was a little nervous at first, but then took a deep breath and relaxed. She tried to focus on the energy within the Chaos Emerald, but it wasn't reacting at all. The young echidna then closed her eyes and focused even more. "I don't think it's working."

"It just takes practice, you'll get it."

Suddenly, the energy surged up in the emerald and a shock wave blew in all directions, blowing Knuckles back.

"Dad!" The young echidna yelled.

"Knux, you okay?" Nikki yelled for him to hear.

Knuckles got up and shook his head. "Yeah, no problem." _Just have a headache from hell._

The echidna's daughter apologized. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

But Knuckles stopped her. "No, no. It's okay Su, you did great. I just should've been prepared for that." He then stood up and brushed himself off.

"Yeah, good job Su." Nikki congratulated with a smile. That was the echidna's first try.

"Thanks Nikki." The young echidna smiled back.

"As long as you remember how that felt like, you should be able to do that again. Just, save that for the robots, okay?"

"Okay Dad."

* * *

After training with Knuckles for a week, both girls' skills improved dramatically. Nikki was now able to control the flow of Chaos Energy not only within a Chaos Drive, but she also figured out how to channel energy from the Chaos Emerald that Knuckles was holding from ten feet away, only in a small amount however, just enough to regain energy again to keep going.

Su was now able to do the same, though she needed a little help from Nikki to get started. She couldn't use Chaos Drives like Nikki can though, which meant that that trait was solely Nikki's alone. Su was also now able to heal using the Chaos Emerald, which was a bonus for the Freedom Fighters.

Tails had finally come up with a way to train the four older kids together and called all of them to come to the forest region in New Albion.

When they got there, Gyro, Nikki, Su and Zephyr looked around. Tails was no where to be seen.

"Any of you guys see him anywhere?" Su called back.

"Nope." Nikki answered.

Zephyr rolled his eyes. "I don't get it, why does Tails want us to come all the way out here for training anyway? And why Tails, isn't Knuckles in charge of training?"

Gyro looked at Zephyr. "Oh, you'd be surprised at what Professor Prower is capable of. I wouldn't underestimate him if I were you."

"Well, he's setting a bad example being late." The hawk commented.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed all around them. "Who said I was late?"

"Tails? Where are you?" Nikki asked as all the kids looked around.

Tails' voice answered. "Now if I told you, that would give away the entire exercise now would it?"

"Great, so he wants us to play hide and seek? How old does he think we are? That stuff's for kids."

"Geez, your town called, they're missing their crier." Su retorted to Zephyr.

"Okay, the point is to work together, not against each other. Now, the first part of this training exercise is to locate your target. This of course, being me. Once you've found me, you will enter the next task…you'll have to capture me."

"Say what?" Nikki looked to Su confused.

"You heard me." Tails' voice responded. "I will leave how you go about this to you. Good luck."

Nikki then looked to the lynx. "Gyro, did you happen to track where Tails' voice came from?"

"Way ahead of you." He then pointed to the right. "That way, due west."

"Great, lets track him down." Nikki announced and took off in that said direction. The others followed.

Gyro's ears perked forward. "He should be just up ahead."

They stopped when they saw that it wasn't Tails, but a strange device taped to the tree in front of them.

Zephyr gave a strange look to the contraption. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a transmitter." Gyro answered as he walked up and took the radio-like box off of the tree.

"You guys will have to do better than that." The transmitter buzzed.

Su rolled her eyes. "Kay, so now what? He could be anywhere in New Albion."

"Or he could not be here at all." Gyro added.

The strange radio spoke. "Good assumption Gyro, but I'm not cruel. I _am_ in this forest somewhere. As you had figured out, you can't use my radio broadcasts to find me. You all will have to use your natural talents."

As Tails continued to talk on the radio, Nikki looked for signs of where Tails had been on the ground. _Tails was very careful not to leave any prints behind. _She then looked to the tree tops. _He must've flew to leave no evidence behind._

"Um, Nikki. What are you doing?" The hawk asked when he noticed the hedgehog was looking to the ceiling.

"Tails is intelligent and resourceful. He wouldn't make it easy for four kids to track him down. See, there's no marks on the ground." She then walked over to the tree and looked really close at the bark. "There are no marks on the tree either, so he had to travel by air."

Nikki jumped up into the tree to see if there were any other clues to which way Tails had gone from there.

"Nikki, where did you learn to track like that?" Su asked her.

"A friend of mine taught me. Well, he's sort of my friend."

"Ooo, sounds like someone's got a boyfriend." Zephyr commented with a devious smile.

"What? Hell no! The guy hates me." She then continued to look around. She found what she was looking for. Some of the leaves were disturbed on the underside of one of the trees ahead of her, but there was no indication to which way he went. What that told her was that Tails wasn't above the forest, he was still under the tree line.

She looked down toward the others. "It looks like he went that way, but I don't know how long ago that was."

"Alright well…" Zephyr thought for a moment. He then looked to the others. "I think our best bet is to split up. We'll cover more ground that way."

"With Tails' knowledge in gorilla warfare, I don't think that's such a good idea." Gyro reasoned.

"Well, we have no idea where he is and there's a lot of ground to cover."

The lynx sighed. "Can't argue with you there." He then looked to Nikki in the tree tops. "Nikki, you take the southwest direction. That's where you saw the tree line was disturbed." He then looked to the echidna. "Su, you take the east direction toward the river." He then looked to Zephyr. "And that leaves west or north."

"I'll take north, the cliff side is in that direction. I can use my Extreme Gear to get up there."

"Good call. I'll take west, back toward the city. If anyone finds anything, give a shout and we'll come find you."

"Alright, good luck guys." And with that, Nikki leapt to the next tree and disappeared. The other three went their separate directions.

* * *

"This is ridiculous." Zephyr muttered to himself as he flew toward the cliff side. He then flew above the tree line, he looked in every direction. The hawk hadn't realized how massive this underground utopia really was. " 'I'm in the forest somewhere'. You'd think it would be easy to find a two-tailed fox."

Suddenly, something caught his eye toward the cliff side. "Wait a minute." He maneuvered his Extreme Gear to head in that direction and sped up. He flew down below the tree line, dodging trees as he looked around. _Now, where are you?_

Suddenly, Tails dashed out of the trees in front of him.

"WHOA!" The hawk yelled as he tried to slow down.

Tails however, didn't move, he looked as though he had expected the teen to fly in this direction. The fox spun his namesakes and forced them under Zephyr's Extreme Gear, sending the hawk flying and into the trees…where Tails had set up a net. The twin tailed fox then caught the board and safely landed. "Well, you got pretty lucky finding me first Zeph."

"Let me down from here!"

"One thing to remember, Zephyr…_never _underestimate your opponent." With that Tails set the Extreme Gear safely down and took to the sky.

"Hey, you can't leave me here!"

"You got yourself caught, now you have to figure a way out. Good luck, kid."

"You've gotta be $%%*&* kidding me?" The hawk struggled to free himself from the net.

Hearing Zephyr's yell, Nikki rushed toward the cliff side. When she got there, she busted into laughter. "Zephyr?"

"Okay, it's not funny."

"Yeah it is."

Zephyr sighed with an annoyed tone. "Could you just get me down?"

* * *

Su had just made it to the river and was looking around the area. Little did she know that the one she was looking for…was in one of the trees behind her.

The twin-tailed fox thought to himself as he planned his next move. _Okay, so far Zephyr needs more work as far as fighting goes. Nikki is a great fighter, but I have a feeling she'll hesitate when it comes to sparing against me. And Gyro he's going to be difficult to spare against. He uses nanites, which gives him more of an advantage. Su…she has both the fighting experience and natural skills of both Knuckles and Julie-Su._

He waited a few minutes as the young echidna kept looking around near the river and then let out a huge sigh. _She still hasn't found me yet. _He then flicked one of his namesakes against the tree to see if she would notice. Su did jump, but she turned in the wrong direction due to the echo from the cavern walls. _Wow…Su, come on. You're killing me here._

Tails then stood up in the tree. _Alright Su…lets see if you're prepared to defend yourself. _With that, Tails spun his namesakes and then leapt forward.

The instant Tails came close, Su whipped around and blocked Tails' arm that was reaching toward her and swatted it away. She then leapt back and landed far enough away so that she could react. "Nice try, Uncle Tails."

_Well, this is surprising. _Tails laughed. "Not bad, Su. Now, the question is…who's going to catch who here?"

"I think it'll be me. I've been practicing with Nikki."

_Crap. Should've thought about that._

Not only had Su been training with Nikki in Chaos Energy, the hedgehog had also independently taught her about predicting the movements of her opponent.

Tails readied himself. "Well, lets see what you got."

* * *

Heading back toward town, Gyro was scanning around, looking for any sign of Tails. Sensing something, the lynx leapt into the tree above him and hid behind the branches. The twin tailed fox flew in and stopped, looking around for his next destination.

"Etavitca!" Gyro leapt out of the tree.

Tails looked behind him and readied himself.

"Snatch!" The lynx's nanites dashed forward.

The twin tailed fox smirked and then spun his namesakes. Gyro noticed Tails' natural propeller sparked and then the fox disappeared.

"What the-?" The lynx looked around, still at the ready. "Set!"

Tails suddenly appeared behind Gyro. "You'll have to be quicker than that."

The lynx whipped around and gave the command. "Snatch!"

Tails simply flipped out of the way. "Now, I'm always going to know what you're going to do next if you keep shouting it out. Quit holding back."

"Alright, Professor. If that's how you wanna play it." Gyro's eyes glowed bright gold and he rushed in at Tails.

"Now, that's more like it." The fox flicked his namesakes.

Gyro brought his arm back to punch Tails, but the fox blocked the attack and grabbed his arm. The lynx then brought his foot up and tried to kick him in the head, but Tails simply blocked that move with one of his namesakes. The fox then smirked and let Gyro go. Both jumped back to start again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

After freeing Zephyr from the net, Nikki began to track Tails down from there. She found it difficult, because Tails was flying most of the time, he was almost impossible to track.

_Alright Tails…where could you be?_

The hedgehog was on full alert, her ears moved to the sounds in the forest, guiding her.

Suddenly she heard something. Without hesitating, Nikki dashed to her right, toward the river. She sped by and looked behind her as her eye caught sight of something red.

The hedgehog skidded to a stop. "Su?"

"Yeah, I know. He got me."

Nikki looked down into the pit. "Why didn't you just climb out?"

"The walls are made of metal and their covered in something slippery. My knuckle claws can't grab the surface."

_Man, Tails thought of everything here. _The hedgehog then drew her attention to her friend. "Hold on, I'll find something to pull you up."

"Just don't fall in."

She dashed into the forest and looked for something she could use to get Su out. Suddenly, Nikki's ears perked forward. The blue blur stopped running and looked around. Deceivingly, she looked away from what she was really listening to behind her. The hedgehog gave a smirk and then in one swift motion whipped around and then leapt into the tree.

The twin tailed fox saw her coming and knew he had little time to react. _Shit!_

He leapt back and Nikki barely missed grabbing one of his namesakes. _Whew, that was close._

Tails then spun his namesakes and flew right by the hedgehog, who was shocked that Tails could fly that fast. To her, he was nothing but a golden blur. "Whoa!"

Nikki planted both feet on one of the thick branches of a tree and pushed off, sending her back toward Tails at blinding speed.

The twin tailed fox landed and whipped around. He then grabbed Nikki's arm that was reaching out to grab him. Nikki had done the same as Tails had reached for her at the same time.

Although, the hedgehog was more shocked by the fact that Tails was actually keeping up with her. "Tails, how-how on Mobius can you move so fast?"

Both the fox and the young hedgehog were holding each other back as they talked. Even though Nikki was much smaller than Tails, she still was strong enough to hold her ground.

"Why are you so surprised? I spent my whole life training with your dad, remember?"

Nikki's eyes widened. _Oh duh, how could I forget that? Tails was always trying to keep up with Sonic, of course he would eventually be as fast as him._

Tails suddenly began to spin his namesakes and Nikki found herself being pushed back. She managed to free herself from his grip and jumped far enough away to react.

The twin tailed fox raised one of his eyebrows at Nikki's reaction. "That's it? Why didn't you fight back?"

"I can't fight you, you're-well…you."

"Nikki, it's sparing. You do this with Knuckles all the time."

"That's different."

Tails laughed out loud. "Hardly."

"What if I accidentally hurt you?"

The twin tailed fox then sighed. "You won't." His eyes then lowered and he gave her a smirk. "I think you'll find I'm pretty quick on my feet."

Encouraged by Tails' confidence, Nikki smirked back. "Alright. Lets see how fast you are." She then sped forward and to her surprise, Tails dodged her.

"Still holding back." Tails commented as she dashed by him.

As soon as she landed on the ground, the hedgehog whipped around caught Tails' hand. The fox then brought one of his namesakes forward and Nikki just barely caught it with her other arm. She was trying to match him block for bloke, but it was getting more difficult for her with every second.

_Damn, it's like fighting a guy with four arms!_

"Stop hesitating, Nikki!"

That yell brought her back into focus and she blocked another tail that tried to come down over her head with her arm.

"You know as well as I do those robots out there won't think twice. Stay focused." It was surprising how Tails was so strong, yet so calm at the same time.

Nikki picked up the pace, trying to find an opening. Both the blue and gold blurs moved like lightning around the clearing, colliding every few seconds. They were matching each other step for step.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zephyr had just made it to the river.

Suddenly, he heard someone shout. "Hey!"

The hawk stopped and looked into the pit. "Su, is that you?"

"Yes."

Zeph suppressed a laugh. "Need a lift?"

"No, I think I'll just decide stay down here all day- Of course I need a lift." The echidna said in a sarcastic tone. _Seriously? What kind of stupid question is that?_

The Extreme Gear lowered into the pit until the hawk was just above Su.

Climbing up onto the board, Su asked. "By the way, have you seen Nikki? She went to get something to get me out of here an hour ago."

"No, I haven't seen her."

"Maybe she ran into Tails." Su guessed.

The hawk shook his head. "I just saw Gyro sparing with him."

"And you didn't help him?"

"He told me to come and find you girls."

Su let out a huge sigh. She then suddenly gave Zephyr a shocked look. "Wait, if Gyro is with Tails, then who is fighting in other direction?"

* * *

Back in the forest, both Tails and Nikki were still standing, but out of breath.

"So…you…give up yet?" The hedgehog asked with a smirk.

The fox laughed. "No way…you still have to…capture me…remember?"

"Well…I could always…wait for you to pass out."

"Are you kidding?…I could do this all day."

"Me too."

"We could…always call it a draw." Tails suggested.

"Ha, I don't think so." Nikki retorted with a smirk. "You started this…no backing out now."

With that remark, Tails laughed out loud and shook his head. "Who said _I_ was backing out."

They both dashed forward to spar again. They matched each other block for block, but it was apparent that both of them were exhausted. Now it all came down to who would make the first mistake. And the answer was…both of them.

Nikki ran in and tried to block one of Tails' namesakes with her leg, but it got caught and slipped under Tail's leg, which tripped him and both of them fell to the ground. Each made an attempt to get up, but they were spent and didn't have the energy to get back up.

"So…how about that draw…" Nikki asked between breaths.

Tails laughed. "Alright, alright. It's a draw."

* * *

Near the city, Gyro looked he was getting the upper hand. He sent in his nanites and managed to trap the twin tailed fox in metal cuffs made of nanites.

"Ha, I got you." Gyro said in triumph.

"Congratulations. And yes, you would have caught me…" His eyes looked directly at the lynx, and with a frightening tone, he said… "…if I was actually Tails."

The lynx gave a confusing look. "Say what?"

Suddenly, the twin tailed prisoner broke the nanite created bonds. Gyro's eyes widened when he saw Tails' form change and turn into Nichole Lynx.

"_m-MOM?"_

The teenage lynx suddenly passed out.

"Um, Gyro?"

* * *

After the trial, everyone got together at the meeting place where they started.

Zephyr began to burst into laughter. "You thought your mom was Tails?"

"She's the master of disguise, Zeph. Besides, I wasn't the one that got caught first."

"I don't care, that's still hilarious." The hawk tried desperately to stop laughing.

"Okay, so what did we learn?" Tails asked the kids.

"Watch out for trap doors?" Su said sheepishly.

Tails chuckled a little. "Yeah that, I guess. What else?"

Gyro rolled his eyes, he meant it was more of a joke to himself when he said. "Expect the unexpected."

"Exactly." Tails answered.

_Here comes the lecture. _Was on all the kids' minds.

Tails sighed. "Okay, so Zephyr."

"Why me first?" The hawk complained slightly.

"No, I'm not critiquing you. I just wanted to ask if you had any combat training. You haven't been here as long as the others, so we don't know about your background.

"Oh." The hawk then rolled his eyes. "Well, yea and no. I've been in a few scraps, but I've never had any training."

"Right, well we'll have to see that that gets taken care of."

The hawk nodded.

The fox then looked to all four of the kids. "The reason why I set this up was to test you. But it was more than that.

Tails then continued "As Nikki and Zephyr know from our last mission, it's not always the Exus that we need to watch out for. Now these Mobians don't mean to cause anyone any harm. They're just trying to survive out there. There will be more situations where you're not dealing with something mechanical…something you can't destroy without a second glance. And that's not what we're about, we're trying to save lives."

The four kids nodded at that.

Su then leaned against a tree. "I really don't understand. Why would some Mobians out there do anything to hurt us? We're all on the same side, aren't we?"

Living in New Albion all her life, Su was basically sheltered from the outside world.

Nikki remembered asking herself that same question. But now that she had experienced it herself, she understood just as much as Tails did.

"In times of hardship, others become desperate. And in many cases, the things that we experience can cause the way we see things to change."

Tails then stood up. "Someday…you kids are going to be running missions on your own. Some of them so far away that Knuckles and I can't get to you fast enough if you get into any real trouble. I didn't include Crash or Gale in this, because I thought they were too young. In other words…I am putting my faith in the four of you."

* * *

The next two years seemed to fly by like an autumn breeze. Nikki was now thirteen years old and was now able to take some routes all on her own without the risk of getting caught. Although, she had ran farther than the limits that she had agreed with the others, but she was always careful in those areas.

Today was the first mission that Crash was allowed to go on, it was a normal abandoned base raid mission and Knuckles took Nikki and Crash along.

This was Nikki's first time in one of Eggman's old bases and actually took the time to look around and pay attention. Everything was rusted, not a hint of shining metal was left at all in the massive base.

"Well, everything on this floor is junk." Knuckles plainly stated as after he scanned the room. "Let's keep moving."

Nikki was so busy looking around she didn't watch her feet and the rusted floor gave way underneath her. "Whoa!"

Both Knuckles and Crash turned around. "Nikki!" They rushed to the edge of the now gaping hole in the floor.

Knuckles shouted for her to hear. "Nikki, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good!" She shouted back as she stood up and brushed herself off. _Well, looks like I found the fourth floor. _"Hold on, I'm coming back up!"

"No! It's too dangerous! Stay there, we'll get you out!" _Damn, there's too many lasers in the way to just dive on through. It's a miracle Nikki didn't hit any on the way down. How the hell are we gonna get to her?_

The echidna then turned to the young meerkat next to him. "Crash, maybe you could-" Knuckles suddenly thought of what would happen if Crash tried to get Nikki out…It wasn't good.

"I could what, Knux?" The meerkat asked with curious eyes.

The echidna shook it off. "Umm…never mind."

He then turned back to the hole. "Nikki, we're gonna find another way in! Don't go anywhere!"

The teenage hedgehog began to tap her foot and rolled her eyes. _Yeah right, like I'm really just gonna wait here. _Suddenly, something caught her attention. _Hmm, that's odd, there's a lot of Chaos Energy down that hall. Better check it out._

If the she thought the first floor of the base was abandoned, then this floor was desolate. Cobwebs lined the walls to the ceiling and seemed to go on forever as the hedgehog walked down the hall, using the green crystal tied around her neck as a light. She found herself climbing over scrap metal and rubble. Each step she took seemed to take her back further in time. At the end of the hall was a rusted old door. She pushed barely pushed against it and feel off its already none existent hinges.

The room wasn't massive like the ones on the first floor, it was moderate size. A control panel was set up by the far left wall, lights were still on and blinking at different times. Nikki didn't even want to bother figuring out what the buttons on the consol did. Besides, in one of Eggman's bases, it wasn't a good idea to just randomly push buttons.

In the center of the back wall of the room was a huge cylinder tube. It was completely covered by dust.

_What's that?_

Curiosity got the better of her and she walked toward the cylinder. She lightly placed her hand on the surface and started brushing away the dust. As soon as she looked at the cleared surface, her spikes stood up and she stepped back. It was a face…a Mobian face!

"What the hell?"

She jumped back and accidentally hit the consol behind her. Once she got back her composure, the hedgehog looked a little closer into the tube. Whoever it was, it looked almost like they were sleeping…or dead. It was hard to tell with the dimmed light.

Her spikes stood up once again when she heard a loud noise behind her.

_**INTRUDER! INTRUDER!**_

The hedgehog gave an unimpressed look. "And here we go, in three…two…"

At that moment, A huge guard robot walked in through another door. It was rusted, just like everything else that was in the base. It was definitely one of Eggman's old robots.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Yep."

The robot began firing a round of bullets and Nikki dodged. What she didn't notice, was the tube was activated and the liquid was draining from the inside. Nikki and the robot were kicking up dust and there was virtually no ventilation in the room. Nikki had begun to cough and the robot rammed into her, causing her to hit the consol. She quickly recovered and was about to rush in again when all of a sudden, a beam of light shot out from the healing tank's direction and hit the robot dead on. The robot collapsed and shut down.

Slightly stunned, the blue hedgehog's eyes drifted toward the tank. It was open and the Mobian that had been inside, was leaning against the opening of the tank. His black fur was completely soaked, golden streaks on his spikes became visible as the lights flickered in the darkness. He tried to catch his breath, then suddenly fell to his knees exhausted.

Out of instinct, Nikki rushed toward him and caught him before he completely fell to the floor. "Hey, you okay?"

The midnight hedgehog looked at her, his eyes shined bright amethyst red. Her emerald eyes met his and for a moment, it felt like time had stood still. Then, without a word, the mysterious hedgehog disappeared…

…Leaving Nikki to ask… _"What the hell just happened?"_

* * *

_Author's Note:_ Yay, I'm finally caught up with most of my notes :)

Who is this mysterious hedgehog and where did he go?

The biggest challenge that Nikki has faced yet is coming, in the next chapter.

For update information...check profile :)


	8. Chapter 25: Virus

Here it is, Chapter 25. :)

This was one of the ones that I had a tone of notes for, so that's why it was finished so fast.

Thank you to all those that reviewed. I would answer the questions that you asked me, but...that would reveal too much of the story plot. I could tell you that we will be able to see Nikki's mom at some point in this series in some form, but I can't reveal who she is yet. I know, I'm evil...only sometimes though. Gotta keep the balance in the universe. :)

As far as concerning last chapter, I said that the mysterious stranger had "amethyst red eyes." And yes, I do know that most amethysts are purple in color and that the color pallet calls a form of purple "amethyst." However, in writing this story, I did do a lot of research into descriptions and such and I found out that there are rare forms of amethysts that are blood red in color. It's pretty cool. You can Google and check it out, you have to look really hard, but they're there. :) I basically picked that description, because it was something that Nikki had never seen before and the way how his eyes shined.

Anyway, sorry for the long note. Here's Chapter 25. Enjoy! :)

* * *

_**Chapter 25: Virus**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

A few months had passed since she had met the mysterious hedgehog in one of Eggman's abandoned bases. Since then, she had kept her eyes open looking for him. This day, Nikki was out searching for him again.

_How could a hedgehog just disappear into thin air like that? He wasn't moving at the speed of light, I would've seen that._

Nikki could still remember that moment, when the two of them looked at each other. She couldn't stop thinking about his eyes, those red crimson eyes.

Her earpiece went off and brought her thoughts back to reality. She answered. "Yeah Knux, what's goin' on?"

"How far are you from the Mobian Badlands?" Knuckles' voice buzzed through the earpiece.

"Not that far, I'm just bordering the Mystic Desert. I can be there in a heartbeat."

"Good, you might wanna get here then." She could tell by the tone of the echidna's voice when he said that, he was in trouble.

"On my way." Nikki dashed toward the direction of the Mobian Badlands. In just the span of a second, she broke the sound barrier and then a second boom echoed through the air as she disappeared at the speed of light. As soon as she reached the outside of the badlands, the blue blur slowed down, but only a little.

* * *

On the battlefield, Gyro's sensors picked up a strong surge of energy heading right toward them. "She's coming in!" He called out as he blocked another attack.

Since most of the group still didn't know that Gyro was a nanite machine, he had made himself to appear to have aged a little over the course of two years. So now the lynx looked to be fifteen years old.

The group heard a sonic boom ring though the air. A blue comet came soaring in and crashed into one of the Exus robots with incredible force, but she didn't stop there. Nikki continued to spin and rammed the robot into the robot behind it, taking out two at once. She then leapt backward and landed. "Catch me up, Gyro. What's going on here?"

Gyro answered her and his nanites took out another robot. At this point, Gyro was now able to use his nanites without giving commands out loud, they all responded to his thoughts. "This part of the Exus army are trying to invade a small town near the Badlands' border. We can't let them though."

"Don't pass 'Go', got it."

An army of robots would be an understatement. It looked more like a sea of robots to her. _All of this to take out a small town? Now that doesn't make sense._

Nikki heard a familiar voice ring out from the crowd of robots. "Yay! Nikki's here!"

"Crash, you okay over there?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Knux has my back."

"I really need to start charging for babysitting." Knuckles muttered.

Crash was now nine years old, so he was still young but not quite as helpless as he used to be.

"Who else is here?" Nikki asked as she took out another robot.

The meerkat stopped for a moment and counted out loud. "Lets see…There's me, Knuckles, Gyro-"

"Not now, Crash!" Knuckles yelled as he blocked an attack that almost came in at the young meerkat.

"Tee he, sorry."

The echidna sighed and called out to Nikki. "It's just us over here. Tails, Zephyr and Gale are preparing to evacuate the city."

"Su's not here?"

"No, she had school." Crash answered as he leapt over one of the robots' heads.

"_Of course she did." _Nikki muttered. She then realized something. "Hey, wait a second…Gyro, didn't you have a class to teach today?"

"I got Professor Charles to cover for me."

"Good call."

* * *

While Knuckles' group was protecting the border, Tails' group was doing their best to keep everyone calm to evacuate.

Suddenly, a massive boom was echoing through the air.

"Was that Nikki?" Gale asked as they all looked in that direction.

"No…" Tails' eyes were focused on where the sound came from. It wasn't a sonic boom they just heard and he knew it. "…I don't think so."

* * *

Back at the border, the other Freedom Fighters heard the strange sound as well. Some of the robots even turned to look in the direction the booming noise came from.

"Wha-what was that?" Crash asked with slight shock.

"Nikki, was that you?" Knuckles began to ask as he looked behind him toward where Gyro was, but he saw Nikki back there as well and the hedgehog shook her head in response.

Suddenly, the ground below them began to shake violently. Everyone braced themselves and tried to keep their balance. Nikki's ears perked forward as she heard what sounded like something whistling in the far distance. She looked to Gyro and could see that he was scanning ahead, trying to find out what was happening.

The lynx's eyes widened as he realized what it was…and it was coming in fast. "Brace Yourself!"

Knuckles looked ahead of him and could see what looked to be a sound wave heading right toward them. They had no time to get out of the way, so he thought of the only thing they could do. "Get Down!" Both the echidna and Crash did just that as they heard the robots ahead of them being crushed by the sudden wave of energy coming toward them.

Right after Gyro said 'brace yourself', the wave of energy hit the robots in front of them and sent them hurtling toward the two teenagers. They both blocked the robots, but the energy that was pushing against the metal forced it's way through and blew the two backward.

Tails could see the energy wave still coming toward the town and yelled for everyone to hear. "Everyone! Take Cover!"

The energy blew in like a tidal wave before anyone could react.

* * *

At first, everyone thought that everything was fine. The blast destroyed the invading robots and no one was badly hurt.

…Then the domino effect kicked in…

Crash passed out first, a day after the event, then Gyro afterward. Tails tried to figure out what was happening and tried to get a hold of Charles, but the communications were down as well. Then, Tails himself started getting sick, but still continued to work out what was happening. Zephyr and Gale went down the next day, same symptoms as Crash and Gyro.

Of the group that had been at the battle, Nikki and Knuckles seemed to be the only two that were unaffected…until the hedgehog came in dragging Knuckles into the base.

"Cream! Tails! Help!"

Cream got there first. "Oh no, Knuckles not you too."

Tails made it to the entryway to the hanger and stopped dead in his tracks. Out of frustration he then hit the door jam with his fist. "Damn it! What the hell is going on?"

Seth's voice came in. "Sir, I tracked down the source with the numbers you gave me."

The fox then leaned against the doorway. "Good, pull it up on screen. I wanna get to the bottom of this before anything else happens."

A map popped up on the screen and it showed one of Eggman's old laboratories.

"Of course…" Tails said unimpressed. "Just couldn't stick to fossil fuels could you Eggman? No, you had to use a Chaos Reactor!" The frustrated fox then muttered to himself. "Unstable piece of shit."

"Tails, what about Knuckles?" Cream asked as she looked at him over her shoulder.

Tails looked at her, he was exhausted. It was obvious to them, they all were. "Lets get him to the infirmary."

"The others haven't come out of it?" Nikki asked with concern, she was worried about all of them.

The fox shook his head.

The hedgehog stood up. "Tails, is there anything I can do? This Chaos Reactor that you and Seth were just talking about, is there any way to reverse it?"

Tails gave Nikki a look, he knew what she as thinking. "Nikki, no. It's too dangerous. We don't even know if you're sick yet."

"I have to try, Tails. I'm the only one left, I have to try."

The twin tailed fox sighed. He knew he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it. "There is one thing we can try, but…I'm not sure if it will work."

* * *

After Tails explained everything to her, Nikki was out the door in a flash and on her way toward Former Station Square.

Just when she made it to the border of the territory, she found herself out of breath. "Whew…that was a long run. Now, lets see…where to from here?"

Suddenly, she heard a snicker coming from behind her. A group of thugs saw her and surrounded her.

The hedgehog rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, I don't have time for this."

"What's your hurry, cutie?"

She gave the guy a weird look. "Oh no, you did _not_ just call me that."

The thugs came in closer. Unimpressed, Nikki shook her head. As one guy tried to run in at her, she grabbed his arm and sent him flying into another one of the thugs. "What the-WHOA!"

"Three…two…"

Right on cue, another guy ran in to grab her. "Why you little-!"

Another guy tried to punch her and she simply dodged. "Honestly, why do you guys always do this?" She then threw the guy over her shoulder with little effort.

"You saw what I did to the other guy and you still wanna take me on…like a said, a complete waste of my time."

The rest of the guys look at her completely shocked.

The hedgehog pulled on the cuff of her right glove. "Now's the part when you run."

As she predicted, the thugs bolted in the other direction and ran for their lives. "Oh, I'm Outta Here!" "Me Too!" "Wait For Me Guys!"

Nikki laughed out loud as the big tough men ran in terror. "Well, that was fun. Now, where was I…right. This way."

She then dashed off even further into Station Square Territory.

No more than ten miles into the Station Square border, Nikki suddenly found five Exus robots blocking her path.

_Not slowing down now._

She readied herself and then dashed forward. She rammed into the first robot, then spun into the next one. Her spikes drove right through and she landed on the other side. But right as she was about to continue forward, another six robots leapt in from the surrounding buildings and blocked her path, now Nikki was surrounded by ten of the metal freaks.

Two robots charged at her and she leapt into the air. The two crashed into each other and then she Sonic Spun both of them at the same time into the ground.

"Kay, that's five down…just six more to go."

Suddenly, Nikki heard Tails' voice in her earpiece. "Nikki, be careful. If you don't have to fight them, then get out of there."

"Don't worry Tails, I feel fine." She then jumped back readied herself for another go.

Something didn't feel right, she felt like she couldn't gain any focus. Her vision blurred, her head began to hurt, her heart began to race a little. She ignored it, dashed forward and tackled one robot to the ground. She then used her spikes to slice into the one next to it. Now there was only four. Nikki backed up to get her bearings and catch her breath. Still blinded by her unfocused vision, the hedgehog dashed forward.

Then all of a sudden, her heart began to beat too fast even for her. She felt her temperature skyrocket. Right after that, pain shot through and consumed her like wildfire. That split second, was too much for her to bear. The shock caused her to collapse and skid across the street to a painful stop. A loud ringing suddenly penetrated her ears, so loud that it drowned out everything else around her. She tried to block it out, she tried to brace herself for the pain that she knew was coming, but just when she thought the pain couldn't get any worse…it did. It felt like she was being stabbed and burned alive at the same time. For the first time…Nikki lost her composure.

"…_oh Chaos…"_

She let out a loud yell, it wasn't a scream by any means, but a strong war cry from both pain and frustration.

On the other side of the radio, Tails heard Nikki's yell. "Nikki? Nikki answer me!"

When she didn't answer back, Tails knew exactly what was happening to her. _Nikki…no, not you too._

Tails could feel his own heart beat begin to race as he worried for Nikki's safety. "Nikki, you have to try and calm down…can you hear me?"

She still didn't answer back, but he did hear something else on the other end of that radio…the sound of gears moving closer.

Back at the battle field, Nikki was trying to fight it off, trying to control every wave of pain that came at her. She opened her eyes a little and could barely see the four robots begin to surround her. She couldn't move and she couldn't breath.

Suddenly, a flash of lighting shocked one of the robots and then the next. Someone was attacking them, but she couldn't see who they were because her field of view was now limited. Suddenly the mysterious figure landed in front of her, his gold eyes looked defiantly at the horde of robots. The wolf stood up and then electricity began to surge between the metal gauntlets attached to his hands and wrists. He ran forward and then met the first robot's blow with his own and the electricity overloaded it's circuitry and the robot collapsed to the ground. The other robot dashed forward and tried to hit the wolf, but he leaped up and then drove the spiked part of the wrist gauntlet into the robot's head. He then sent another shock into it and it too fell to the ground beside the others.

The grey wolf walked over to Nikki, his sensitive ears picked up Tails' voice on the other end of the radio. He reached down and gently took the earpiece off of Nikki and placed it on the ground next to him. The wolf didn't dare touch Nikki after that, he was afraid he would cause more harm than good if he touched her anymore than he had too.

He leaned in close and spoke into her ear. "Nikki, listen to me. You have to slow your heart rate down. I'm gonna try and help you, but you have trust me."

He then placed his hand on Nikki's back just under her spikes on her back, which were out because Nikki's body was so stressed. He then gave her very light shock. Nikki took in a gasping breath, but then soon found herself about to freeze up again. "No Nikki, don't fight it. Just take deep breaths."

The wolf was trying his best to keep calm, but seeing Nikki in this condition was almost too much for him to bear as well. She was able to hear him, because instead of yelling, the wolf kept his voice at barely a whisper. The virus was not only trying to kill her, but messing with her senses to make everything amplified; sound, sight, touch, everything felt like it was in overload. If he spoke to her normally, all she would hear would be senseless yelling that she can't make out.

The hedgehog took a breath, then she tried to take another, desperate to get air. "Slower." The wolf whispered. She started to slow her breathing down. "There you go."

After he made sure that Nikki was beginning to stabilize, the wolf picked up the earpiece and placed it in his own ear. "Hello?"

Tails heard his voice on the radio and then contacted back. "Hello, who _is_ this?"

"Trace Wolf of the Station Square Freedom Fighters." The grey wolf answered. "I found one of your operatives here in our territory."

The fox's heart nearly sank before he even heard conformation about Nikki's condition. The wolf continued, "You're lucky I got here when I did…she might not have made it."

Tails' look suddenly changed from heartbreak to surprise. _She's alive? She's alive! _He breathed a huge sigh of relief and fell back into this chair. "Thank you."

"How many are infected in your area?"

"Everyone except two." Tails counted Cream and Trinity as the only ones that were safe.

"Are you one of the exception?"

"No, not me…how about you?"

"Everyone in my sector is infected except me." Trace sighed and closed his eyes. "Don't know why yet, but I intend to find out."

Nikki slowly started to wake back up, her tired eyes looked at Trace in slight confusion. "…T-Trace…What are…what are you doing here?"

Trace gave her a slightly annoyed look, "I work here."

Tails overheard the conversation from the other end of the line. "Ah, so you two know each other?"

Nikki tried to sit up, but pain threatened to take her over again.

Trace gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Easy, take it slow."

He then helped support her as she tried to sit up. "Man, you're really sick. What the hell are you doing out here? You should be in bed."

"Can't…I'm the…only one that can…stop this."

"What about the one at your base that _isn't_ sick?"

"She's looking after the others…Tails is the only…other one awake…and he can't move too much right now."

"What about the other one? He said there was two of them that were-" Trace stopped when he noticed Nikki giving him a 'are you kidding me' look. "What?"

"She's two."

"Oh."

Tails' voice came up on the earpiece. "Trace, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I can hear you."

"We've figured out that this virus came from a Chaos Reactor that exploded in the Mystic Ruins. Also, the symptoms that are caused by this virus match that of Chaos Poisoning."

"Um, wait. Chaos Poisoning?" Trace had never heard of this before.

"It's when someone is exposed to too much Negative Chaos Energy. Those that are infected are affected in different ways. Some go into a coma, others go completely insane, it depends on the amount of Negative Chaos Energy they are exposed to. The most common is extreme pain and fatigue. Strangely enough, the effect is increased when metal is involved."

"That explains why I didn't get sick. I was out for two days, my equipment was on the nightstand." Trace remembered.

"And the two here that didn't get sick were out of the blast zone at the time. It's not contagious in any way either, which is good."

"Yeah, that's good to know. So, you think that in order to fix this, we have to go to the Chaos Reactor that blew up?"

"No, not that one. The reactor is destroyed there, it's no good. The base we're heading to is much older than that one. It's on Eggman's Egg-Carrier."

"That old scrap heap that's half way in the ocean?"

"Yes, that one."

Trace sighed. "Oh boy, that's pretty far from here."

"As soon as I catch my second wind, I'll get there." Nikki interrupted.

The wolf shook his head. "Out of the question. You shouldn't be moving, period."

"I already told you, I'm the only one that can fix this."

"Ugh, enough with the tough hero persona already."

"Actually, she's telling the truth." Tails responded on the other line. "Nikki is the only one capable of changing Negative Chaos Energy into Positive. There is no one else. Believe me, I don't like the idea of letting Nikki continue anymore than you do…but as of right now, we have no other option."

The wolf then looked to the hedgehog. "You're serious? You really think you can pull this off?"

A look of determination came to Nikki's eyes. "I know I can."

"Then I'm going with you."

Nikki gave him a shocked look. She really didn't expect him to say that.

"Someone's gotta make sure you don't push yourself. I wanna save my friends as much you want to save yours."

The hedgehog smiled and gave him a nod. "Right."

* * *

Nikki recovered quickly and the two ran toward the Emerald Coast, where Eggman's first Egg-Carrier crash landed. They compromised on the pace, as fast as Trace was able to run. That way, Nikki wouldn't be pushing herself too hard and Trace could keep up. The hedgehog was actually surprised that Trace was able to keep that fast pace in the first place, of course if he had been fighting Exus robots this whole time, he had to be fast.

Suddenly, Trace's ears perked up and his eyes widened. "Shit, Stop!"

Both of them stopped and Nikki could see why. This area was covered in a thick green fog. She knew what this was, it was radiation from the original Ground Zero explosion, still lingering around.

Each had already prepared for this. Nikki took out a bandana that she had hiding in her quills and wrapped it around her muzzle. Trace had a more updated way to keep the fog at bay. He reached into his boot and took out a mask. It looked to be made for a ninja than anything, metal-like alloy covered the front, but it was attached to a cloth the was able to be tied around the back of his head.

After putting the mask on, Trace gave her nod. Nikki nodded back and they ran into the fog. The idea was to run through as fast as they could, breathing in as little of the toxic gas as possible. Trace kept his eyes open, he had ran through this before and he knew when it was safe to take the masks off. The fog looked to be clearing ahead of them and they were through before they knew it.

"Okay, it's safe."

All of a sudden, Nikki started laughing.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Your-your voice through the mask."

The wolf rolled his eyes and took the mask off. "Okay, I get it. Very funny."

"Okay…okay…I'm done." Suddenly, the hedgehog heard something and her ears perked up. She noticed Trace's ears perked up at the same time. "You heard that too?"

Trace gave her a 'no shit' look, then focused his attention toward the noise. "It came from just ahead."

By this time, Nikki's eyes had dark circles under them, a symptom of the Chaos Virus as they decided to call it. She looked down from the overpass they were walking on and could see that one of the buildings had collapsed, possibly from the blast three days ago or the structure was weakened and it had fallen over recently. With hesitating, Nikki leapt down from the over pass and started running toward the scene.

"Nikki, wait!" Trace leapt down and caught up to her to try and stop her. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going over there to help."

"Our plan is to get to the reactor. No pit stops, remember?"

"That's not going to help the people that are trapped in that building, Trace." Nikki really couldn't believe what she was hearing from Trace right now.

As Nikki approached, she noticed someone had a mask and they immediately put the mask back on.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, it's not contag- you know what, never mind. Need a hand?"

As the man spoke, his voice was muffled by the mask. "Yes, there are some people stuck in that overturned building and we can't get them out. The fire department can't get through the debris in the roads to get here."

"Now that's a problem." Trace said as he thought. "Hold on a sec." The wolf then closed his eyes and focused. His eyes suddenly sprang open and glowed bright gold. Both the man and Nikki jumped, the hedgehog had no idea what Trace was doing. In fact, she had no idea Trace could do that at all.

Then, his eyes returned to normal. "There's one man trapped under the left side by forth floor window. A child is trapped under a desk on what used to be the third floor. There's three more people trapped in the stairwell of the building, it's still intact. That's all I got."

"Whoa, Trace. I had no idea you could do that."

"I don't like to brag about it." The wolf said bluntly.

"Alright, so lets get them out." The two ran closer and Nikki looked back at Trace. "You tell me exactly where they are. I'll get them out."

Trace pointed to a broken window. "That looks like the best way to get in without injury. Lets try there."

The hedgehog then sped in without any effort. She was able to get to the men in the stairwell first. She yelled from the other side of the wall. "Hey, is anyone there?"

"Oh, thank god. Yes! We're in here!" One of the men yelled.

"Stand back!" Nikki then spun and began to cut through the cement easily. She was extra careful to make sure she didn't cut the support beam that was barely holding up the crushed ceiling. She reached her arm down into the stairwell. "Give me your hand, I'll pull you up!"

"You're just a little girl, you can't seriously-" The man was interrupted by a bit of cement that fell from the ceiling and almost hit him.

"Less talking, more escaping. Come on!"

The man grabbed her hand and Nikki pulled him up. "Head back that way, someone's waiting to help you."

"Thank you." Once the man was out of the way, Nikki reached down again. "Okay, next!"

Nikki repeated the process and got the next man out of the stairwell. She then reached down for the last one. "There's just you left, right?"

"Yeah."

The last man grabbed her wrist and Nikki pulled him up. "Just follow them."

"Where are you going?"

"There's more people in here, I have to get them out." Nikki swiftly made her way toward the next part of the building. She ran into the other man that was pinned down. "Need a hand."

"They sent in a kid? What is this world coming to?" The man said that on account of the fact that he could only see Nikki's shoes. The hedgehog then looked under the beam where the man was trapped and the man jumped a little. "You're-You're a hedgehog."

"Um, last I checked… Yeah. "Okay, I'm gonna lift this up. You think you can crawl out?"

"I think so."

"Good. Here I go." Nikki then began to spin and the leverage pushed the metal beam upward. The man crawled out and as soon as he was out of harm's way, Nikki moved out from under the beam and stopped spinning. She then looked to the man. "Okay, head down that way and make a left. There's an exit."

"I owe you my life, thank you."

The teenage hedgehog smiled. "You owe me nothing, now go hurry."

The man ran in the direction he was told and Nikki continued further into the wreckage.

She started feeling winded again like before. _Ah no, not now._ She took minute to relax and took a few deep breaths. Once she got her second wind, Nikki continued forward. "Hello? Is anyone else in here?"

No one answered.

_Trace said that there was also a child in here. The kid must be scared, that's why no one said anything._

Nikki remembered that Trace also said that they were hiding under a desk. She saw something made of wood to her right and moved closer. The hedgehog peeked under the over turned office desk and saw the little girl back further into the corner.

She spoke softly to the child. "No, no. It's okay, I'm here to help. I'm Nikki, what's your name?"

"S-Sara." The girl responded, but still was frightened.

"Very nice to meet you, Sara." The hedgehog gave her a smile. She then reached her hand toward her. "We're gonna both get of here, but you have to trust me, okay."

The child hesitated for a minute, but then took Nikki's hand. "Okay."

"Alright, follow me." Nikki carefully led the girl out of the desk and then back toward the exit.

Suddenly, the virus' effects began to hit her again and she almost collapsed, catching herself on her hands and knees.

The girl stopped and looked back. "Nikki, are you okay?"

Through the pain, the hedgehog managed. "Yeah…I'm fine…don't be scared, Sara."

To make matters worse, the building began to shake around them. Both of them looked to the ceiling as slabs of concrete fell around them. As soon as she heard the girl scream, Nikki found the strength to stand back up and dash forward. She gently grabbed the girl's arm and led her in the right direction, helping her dodge debris left and right. As they got to the crawl space, Nikki let her go first and ushered her through. "Go, go, go!"

Trace was on the other side and effortlessly pulled the little girl through. He then reached in to grab Nikki and pulled her out as well. The hedgehog could hear the little girl and her mother in the distance.

"Sara!"

"Mommy!"

Nikki was trying desperately to catch her breath.

Trace kept his voice in a hushed tone for her sake, but a worried look showed in his eyes. "Nikki."

"I'm…alright…Trace…"

The wolf scoffed at that response. "Far from it is more like it. Rest here for a minute."

After a short while, the hedgehog was able to breath again and she tried to stand up. She ended up using the side of the mangled building for support.

Sara's mom walked up to them. "You saved my daughter, Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem." Nikki gave her a smile and Trace rolled his eyes.

"If there's anything that we can do for you." The woman offered.

Nikki thought for a second. "Actually, there is something. We're trying to get to the Emerald Coast, do know the fastest way to get there?"

"Yes, take the old freeway down until you get to the abandoned oil factory. There's an old tunnel system that you can drive through that takes you straight to the coast."

The wolf gave her a confusing look. "What happened to the railroad station, that's faster."

"That went down in the collapse, that was the first thing we saw before the building collapsed."

Trace gave an unimpressed look. "Well, that figures."

"So, abandoned factory it is then." Nikki gave Trace a smirk.

Trace gave a slightly annoyed look. "Why can't it ever just be a meadow or something, just once."

* * *

About halfway to the crash site from the city, Nikki decided to check in with Tails. "Tails, we're almost there."

"Good…you guys are…doing great…keep it up…"

Nikki could tell by Tails' voice on the other line that something was wrong. "Tails?"

Trace could also hear the earpiece even though he was at least two steps ahead of Nikki and stopped in his tracks.

When Tails didn't answer back, Nikki felt her heart begin to race. "Tails?"

Suddenly, someone's voice came on the line…but it wasn't him…it was Cream. "Nikki…Tails just went down."

The hedgehog's eyes widened.

"He's still breathing… he just passed out like the others."

Nikki closed her eyes tightly and almost fell to her knees, but Trace whipped around and caught her. "Nikki!"

Cream heard the yell on the other line. "Oh no, Nikki! You okay, speak to me!"

As she spoke, Nikki's voice shook a little. "Y-yeah…I'm okay…take care of them, Cream. Trace and I are almost there."

"Okay. Please be careful Nikki."

"You too." Nikki then turned the earpiece off.

She looked up at Trace, it was the first time she had actually seen sympathy in his eyes. "We better get moving." She then stood back up and continued forward.

* * *

By the time they got to the abandoned factory, Trace noticed Nikki was getting weaker. She almost fell, but braced herself on the wall next to her.

"Nikki?"

"I'm alright…just…give me a minute…"

"Give _you_ a minute? Okay, there is _definitely_ something wrong with you."

Nikki shot him a glare and he returned his gaze to the road ahead. "Rest for now, you're no good to anyone if you're a zombie."

"No…can't rest…I just need to…"

Suddenly, Nikki passed out and almost fell to the floor, but Trace rushed over and caught her. "Nikki!" _Shit! Come on, you can't do this. Not now._

"Sorry about this." He readied his lightning cuff and gave her a light shock to her arm.

Nikki jolted awake and nearly yelped from the shock. "Eyie! Okay, I'm up!"

"I can't let you sleep, you might not wake up."

"Well, that definitely worked." She stated as she rubbed her arm where Trace had shocked her.

Trace's ears suddenly perked up as he heard something. Nikki heard it too and looked in the same direction.

A dark figure walked through the darkness. Trace recognized who it was right away. "Valor? What are you doing here? You should be back at the-"

Suddenly, the komodo stepped into the light and Trace could see that something wasn't right with his teacher. His eyes were blood shot.

"Nikki…run." Trace whispered.

"What?" Nikki gave him a confusing look.

"You heard me. Run, get to the reactor. I'll keep him back."

The komodo stepped closer and growled. This was what Tails had warned about. Valor was being controlled by the Negative Chaos Energy in the virus, perceiving anything that got in his way as a threat. Valor then charged at the two of them. Nikki and Trace dodged out of the way as the komodo clumsily tried to swipe at them with his claws.

Trace warned her from the other side. "His claws are toxic! Don't let him scratch you!"

What Trace said was true. Since Valor was a komodo dragon, his claws were naturally coated with toxic bacteria that would kill someone if they were scratched and didn't have the cure. Trace knew they had vials of the cure back at the base, but if either of them were injured now, they would have no time to get there…and time was they desperately needed right now.

Valor turned and went straight for Nikki, who dodged every one of his attacks. But it was becoming more difficult for her dodge as her vision began to blur. _No, not again…not now._

Trace could see that she was in trouble and rushed in. He blocked Valor's attack with his lightning cuff. "Sorry pal."

He then shocked Valor, causing him to react and step back.

Trace stepped back and grabbed Nikki by the arm. "Go!"

They both ran for the exit, but Valor cut them off and attacked Trace. As the wolf dodged, he was scratched on the leg, but pushed Nikki out of the way. He then looked behind him and saw a massive overturned oil container that was open. He ran toward it, luring Valor to follow close behind. The wolf ran in and as soon as Valor hit the back of the container, Trace ran back out and quickly closed the iron door. Trace leaned against the door and slid down until he hit the floor. The toxin from Valor's claws was already starting to take effect and he could no longer feel his leg at all.

"Trace!" Nikki ran toward him and knelt at his side.

"You need to go."

"Are you kidding? I'm not leaving you here." The blue hedgehog looked at him, she could tell by his eyes he was serious.

"Thousands…that's how many innocent lives will die if you stay with me."

Her eyes widened. Trace was right, but it still didn't feel right to her to take off and leave the wolf in his condition.

"I'll come back. As soon as I'm done, I'll come right back."

"No you won't." The wolf suddenly said. "I can't tell you how I know or why…but you won't be coming back this way and I don't want you to."

It was obvious that he had already seen how this was going to go when he used his farsight back at the collapsed building. He then gave her a serious look. "You're wasting time, go!"

The hedgehog hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out what Trace had just told her. She then stood up, took a few steps back. "I _will_ come back. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

Nikki then dashed off and made it through the tunnel to the Emerald Coast.

* * *

The hedgehog ran along the coastline, looking for any sign of the downed Egg-Carrier. She saw the outlining of the wreck in the distance.

_There it is. _Nikki sped up, she was so close now.

She made it inside the Egg-Carrier and looked around for the direction to the Chaos Reactor. "It should be around here somewhere."

Nikki came across a key pad to a locked metal door. She thought for a second. Let's see, if I was an idiotic scientist with an ego the size of a football field, what would my password be?"

She entered E-G-G-M-A-N and the doors opened. "Wow, I just joking. I didn't think that would actually work."

The hedgehog walked into the room and was shocked to come face to face with an Exus robot. It had beaten her there, probably to take the reactor. Refusing to give up, Nikki readied herself. The robot ran in at her at top sped, but Nikki dodged. She then spun and attacked the robot, but the robot simply dodged her as well.

Nikki felt the effects of the virus hitting her once again and she staggered, which gave the robot enough time to strike. The robot slashed her side first, it then mercilessly attacked her, tossing her around like a rag doll. In mid throw, Nikki caught her second wind and then drove one of her spikes across the robot's arm, cutting it off. She then jumped back and looked straight at the murderous robot, her emerald eyes gleaming.

The hedgehog spun one last time and then drove herself into the robot. She continued to spin, trying to force herself through to disable it. The living chainsaw sliced through the metal and sparks and blood scattered across the floor.

With the virus taking it's toll, Nikki couldn't catch herself and she crashed into the ground. She looked at the access port for the Chaos Drive in front of her. It was like it was taunting her, she was so close.

_No…I can't…not yet…_

Refusing to give up, Nikki began to force herself through the pain and back on her feet. She took the Chaos Drive out of her quills and clutched it tightly in her hand.

_Just one last dash…that's all I need…_

Blood splattered on the floor and her legs shook as she stood up. She took one staggered breath and closed her eyes. She quickly opened them and ran forward. She drove the Chaos Drive into the access port and the energy from it flooded her system. The energy was amplified and sent soaring through the ceiling and into the air. The energy pulsed and spread itself in all directions at the speed of light. As the energy passed though everything it came in contact with, it cleansed the Negative Chaos Energy. Everyone that was infected with the Chaos Virus began to regain consciousness and their symptoms began to disappear.

As the energy faded, the faded blue hedgehog fell to the ground. Having using the last of her energy to power the reactor, Nikki had left none for her to recover.

_It's done…everyone should be safe now…_

Her life began to flash before her. She remembered everyone she had met…and those that she thought she would never see again. Her family…her friends…and Trace…who for all she knew, was still in danger of dying back at the abandoned factory.

…_Trace…it looks like I won't be…able to keep my promise to come back…I'm…sorry…_

Nikki closed her eyes, ready to let death take her.

Suddenly, she heard something. It was the sound of footsteps coming toward her.

…_What?…Who's that?…Who's there?…_

Nikki wanted to open her eyes and see who it was, but no longer had the strength to do so. She could feel the harmful negative energy being drained out of her like, whoever it was, was releasing a weight that was on her chest.

She found the strength to open her eyes a little, but she couldn't focus them to see clearly. All she saw was a dark figure with spikes curving upwards. The weak hedgehog could make out radiant, red eyes looking at her. She tried to speak, but she didn't have the strength to do that either. All she managed was a groan as she took an uncomfortable, but much needed breath. Nikki then felt the world around her begin to turn black and she passed out from exhaustion.

* * *

Back at the abandoned factory, Trace could hear someone's voice calling him.

"Trace?…Trace, come on kid. Wake up."

The wolf slowly opened his eyes. "…Valor?…"

The komodo sighed with relief and placed his cowboy hat back on his head. "Thank Chaos. You are one lucky S.O.B. ya know that?"

"Wait, you're okay now?" Trace looked around him, he was still in the same place he was before and his leg was patched up. "But the toxin, how did you?"

Valor flicked an empty vial into the air and caught it. "I always carry one or two of these on me just in case."

"That would've been nice to know earlier." The wolf said as he shot his teacher an unimpressed look.

"Aight, well we better get back to headquarters."

"Yeah, home sounds good."

* * *

Back to Nikki's situation, she had just passed out. Suddenly, a familiar voice broke through the darkness. "Nikki?"

The hedgehog opened her eyes slightly. "…Tails?…Is that you?…How did you get here?…"

"Umm, I should be asking you that question. How did you get back here and why are you sleeping in my bed?"

At that, Nikki instant sat up and looked around. The poor girl was so confused. "I have no idea. What the heck happened? I don't remember how I got here."

Tails noticed that Nikki looked a little flushed and put his hand to her forehead. "Well, you have a fever. Probably from running around when you should've been resting."

Nikki then gently took Tails' hand as she began to remember. "Tails, the others, are they…"

The fox smiled at her. "Don't worry, everyone's fine."

The hedgehog breathed a huge sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Well, I think you should rest here tonight. I don't think that a hammock would be the best thing for you to recover in."

"But, where are you going to sleep?"

Tails laughed. "You don't need to worry about me. Just try and sleep."

"Alright…if you're sure." Before she could even finish her sentence, the hedgehog was out and fast asleep.

* * *

Sometime later, the door to Tails' room was opened and Nikki started waking up.

"Nikki?"

The hedgehog recognized that voice. "Hey Crash…what's up?"

Suddenly, she was nearly tackled by the young meerkat. "Nikki! Thank Mobius you're okay!"

Nikki nearly laughed. "Okay…Crash, I'm glad you're worried about me and all, but I'm trying to sleep here."

"Oh sorry. I'll let you get back to that then."

"Yeah, good idea."

When Crash left the room and closed the door, Nikki tried and eventually went back to sleep.

* * *

Suddenly, Seth's voice rang out in the room. "Tails! Tails wake up!"

"What the- I'm not Tails, Seth."

"Nikki? Oh, I'm sorry. I thought Tails was back in his room."

"Well, he's not. Try somewhere else." Nikki didn't mean to get slightly angry with Seth, she was just too tired and was pretty much still half asleep.

_Ugh, how the hell does Tails sleep in here?_

* * *

Author's Note: Poor Nikki, I've really gotta stop torturing her...naw too much fun XD

Next Chapter might take a while, because there are a few things I need to sort out between here and the chapter after that, but I'll get it figured out.

To check update information...check my profile :)


	9. Chapter 26: Alliances

Here it is, Chapter 26! :)

Now, I actually split this chapter up so it's not as long as I had originally planned, but awe well. :)

Reviews:

Good to see there are so many people curious about the mysterious hedgehog. I love it! ;) I love keeping people guessing.

Caprice, I swear you must be psychic or something because... well read this chapter and see why lol :)

Enjoy! :)

* * *

_**Chapter 26: Alliances**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

The night came quickly to Former Station Square. It was always hard to tell if it was night or day there anyway due to all the fog in the air twenty-four seven. A golden comet streamed through the city at incredible speed. The light suddenly stopped to reveal the midnight hedgehog. His red eyes looked around the city, it looked like he had the feeling he was being watched.

He continued forward, glancing over his shoulders every once in while. Sensing something, the midnight hedgehog stopped and looked around him.

Two Mobian cats were on top of one of the old buildings, watching the stranger through the scope of a sniper.

"So, what do you think?"

The other cat, with white and black fur, looked through his scope. "Wow, he could almost be a dead ringer for the guy."

"I know, right?" The latter, an orange tabby, whispered. "He almost looks like those newer Exus models too."

"Yeah, he could pass off as an Exus Dusk alright."

"Do you think he can hear us?"

"Oh, I'm certain he knows we're here." The cat then focused on the stranger. "Lets watch him for now, see what he does."

"It looks like he's looking for something."

"Or he knows something is looking for him." The white and black tom said bluntly.

The orange tabby felt a shiver run down his spine when his comrade said that.

Suddenly, a beam shot out from the building across from them, aiming directly for the mysterious stranger. The midnight hedgehog turned toward that direction. His eyes glowed red for a moment and then he disappeared into thin air.

"Holy Shit! Did you see that? He just disappeared!" The orange tabby yelled.

"Shh, keep your voice down." The black and white tom hushed. "Besides, I'm more concerned of where that blast came from-"

Just then another blast was heard and a fireball rose from the building the beam came from. The two focused their scopes in that direction. Rising out of the smoke and fire into the air…was the black hedgehog. Through the scopes they saw the hedgehog looked toward them, two blazing red eyes glowed in the darkness of night. He then disappeared.

Before either of them could ask where he went, he was right in front of them. The two cats jumped and their fur stood on end, both completely froze with fear as they looked into the crimson eyes of the dark stranger. The black and white cat then dropped his weapon, in seeing his comrade's action, the orange cat did the same.

Appearing to see the two as no longer a threat, the midnight hedgehog looked behind him at the street below. He then flew down and landed gracefully on the asphalt. His eyes narrowed as he sensed something surrounding him.

Both cats looked over the side of the building to get a closer look. Red lights began to surround the stranger in vast number.

The orange tabby's voice shook as he spoke. "That's a lot of Exus robots."

"There must be at least a hundred." The black and white tom was equally shocked. They had been waiting all night to snipe down the robots in this part of the city and now, they all seemed to have gathered all around this stranger.

They watched as the mysterious hedgehog reached for the golden rings around the cuffs of his wrists. He took the first one off and it fell to the ground. He then reached for the one on his left wrist. As soon as he took the ring off, a pulse generated and an energy wave scattered in different directions. Even the cats felt it up at the top the skyscraper.

A golden aura began to surround the midnight stranger, It was so bright that it would've challenged the light of the sun. The two cats looked on frightened and amazed at the same time. They had never seen anything this bright before.

The comet then dashed forward and then spun in a massive circle. A massive funnel of golden energy swirled and shot into the sky. The cats leapt and ducked toward the back of the roof out of harm's way and watched as the vortex continued to skyrocket at least ten feet above them. The energy began to die down and the two cats looked over the edge of the building, fighting the quake of their fear.

Every robot that was down in the street was destroyed, a few windows were broken in the buildings nearby from the surge of energy. Some of the metal scraps were thrown at least ten blocks away from where they had stood only a moment ago.

In amidst all the clouds of dust and debris, the midnight stranger stood, untouched. He suddenly passed out and fell to the ground.

* * *

The next morning, Nikki was up and out of the base. She had fully recovered from the ordeal the virus had caused and was heading toward where she had last left Trace.

The hedgehog dashed across the Station Square border without hesitation, she then sped up and disappeared. Nikki made it to the abandoned oil factory in no time flat and went straight for the oil container. There was no sign of the wolf anywhere.

_Well…this could either be good or bad._

Something hidden behind a piece of scrap metal by the container caught her eye and she lifted it up. She reached in and pulled out a strange looking piece of paper, or foil or something. It looked like a mix of both. She looked at the folded paper and read it.

XXXXX

_I told you so._

_XXXXX_

Nikki then understood who this was from…it was from Trace. She quickly unfolded the foiled paper and continued to read it.

XXXXXXXXX

_I know you'll find your way back here, even though I told you not to. Just letting you know I'm okay, one of my comrades found me and we're heading back home. You might not wanna stay in Station Square city limits for too long. There's been reports of someone causing trouble, they might think it's you. I know it's not, you're insane but you're not __**that **__crazy._

_P.S._

_I told you so._

_XXXXXXXX_

The hedgehog stared at the metallic letter for a moment, she suddenly yelled. "What? Crazy? I'm not crazy! Trace, you Jerk!"

* * *

The blue comet sped back toward the Station Square, heading back to the other side of the border.

_Well, at least Trace is okay. But I still wanna thank him for helping me out. Maybe if I take the route through the city, I'll run into him._

Suddenly, Nikki sensed something and stopped. She looked to her left.

_What…is that? Better check it out._

She then dashed off in that direction.

She leapt from an over turned car and landed in the middle of a group of Mobians. The group backed up as they were not expecting a blue hedgehog to suddenly appear in front of them.

One of them shouted. "What the hell?"

She stood up and looked at the group, some proceeded to back up, but one, the same komodo dragon she saw back at the oil factory, stared at her defiantly.

The hedgehog heard a voice behind her. "…you again?"

Nikki glanced behind her and her eyes widened. There was the mysterious black hedgehog, held back forcefully by two other Mobians.

Those red eyes looked right at her. "Can't you at least _try_ to stay out of trouble?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I should be asking you the same thing."

Her attention was brought back to the komodo in front of her as she saw his arm raise a gun in front of her. "Stand aside."

She gave him a confusing look. "What?"

"You heard me."

Then someone from behind him shouted. "That hedgehog destroyed our city eight years ago!"

The blue hedgehog gave them a disbelieving look and crossed her arms. "So, you're saying a nine year old did all of this? Don't know about you, but I find that hard to believe."

Nikki looked at the hedgehog behind her, who gave her a slightly confusing look. "I have no idea what these ingrates are talking about."

"Don't try and deny it!" Another Mobian yelled.

Another Mobian joined in. "Yeah, we know you did this, Shadow!"

"Wait a minute…Shadow disappeared seven years ago. It couldn't be him anyway. Besides, are you guys color blind? Shadow's spikes have red stripes, not gold."

The komodo spoke. "I won't ask again…stand aside."

The female hedgehog looked defiantly at him. "No, you're wrong."

Valor was stubborn and hated to be told that he was wrong about anything, unfortunately for him, Nikki was even more stubborn than he was, refusing to budge even after Valor took the safety off and had his claw nestled on the trigger.

Realizing the scene that was playing out before him, the midnight hedgehog managed to get free, grab Nikki and teleported them both out of there.

The whole group jumped back and were in shock. Wh-where did they go? They can't just disappear like that! That's impossible!"

* * *

After the midnight hedgehog teleported them out of the city, Nikki staggered a little to get back her footing. That was the first time she was actually awake to know what it felt like and she wasn't prepared for it.

The blue hedgehog then looked at the border marker, slightly stunned. She kept looking back toward where she knew the angry mob still was and then back to the border. "How the hell-" She then looked to the midnight stranger next to her. "Seriously, how did you do that?"

The stranger blinked once and then turned and started walking away.

"Hey!" Nikki ran up and caught up to him. "Is this a normal thing for you to save someone and leave before you get a thank you?"

The black hedgehog then stopped and looked at her, he gave her an unimpressed look. "Do you ever stop talking?"

Nikki was slightly shocked by that response. She blinked twice. "So, why did they think you were Shadow, I mean, you can't be him…can you?"

The midnight hedgehog shook his head and continued walking. Nikki caught up to him once again. "Well, if you're not him…then who are you?"

The stranger stopped again, but this time he didn't turn around. "…I'm not sure…"

Before he could finish, Nikki walked in front of him and looked into his eyes. He could see sympathy in her irises, but the black hedgehog didn't know why.

She then said. "You can't remember…anything?"

The midnight hedgehog looked away from her.

"Well, that's a bummer." Nikki thought for a moment. "I'll tell you what, I'll help you find out. I'm sure we can find something if we head back to where I first found you. What do you say?"

The latter gave her a confusing look. _What is wrong with this girl?_ He then sighed. "Do whatever you want, I don't care."

"Great, let's go!" She then gently grabbed the stranger's arm started to run in the direction of Eggman's old laboratory, but the stranger didn't move and her feet slid from under her and she fell on her back. She then looked up at the black hedgehog, who raised one of his eyebrows. She gave him a smile. "Wow, you're really strong."

The black hedgehog just didn't know what to think of her. The female hedgehog stood up and brushed herself off. "So, you comin'?"

The mysterious hedgehog then rolled his eyes and started walking in the direction that Nikki was heading. "How the hell did you survive this long?"

"Oh, I can take care of myself."

Hearing the hedgehog scoff, Nikki looked at him. "What?"

"I bet you can't even stay out of trouble for five minutes."

Nikki looked like she was about to say something, but then thought for a minute. "That _is_ debatable."

She noticed the black hedgehog laugh a little. "Ha, I made you laugh."

The midnight hedgehog then closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Anyway, the name's Sonica, but everyone calls me Nikki." She then thought for a moment. "I wonder…so what do you wanna be called-until we find out who you really are that is."

"I've heard others call me 'dark figure', so…"

"Hmm, Dark…that could work."

* * *

The two looked around the base.

"Well, this computer is shot." Nikki said as she tried to get the darn thing to work. "I swear, electronics hate me or something."

The black hedgehog walked over. "Move over."

Nikki stepped to the side and let Dark move in front of the massive computer. He then began to type at a speed that would make secretaries green with envy. Nikki was able to see this, because her eyes could keep up. But to the untrained eye, it was nothing but a blur.

"Every file has been cleared out. Whoever this person was didn't want anyone else to find out what they were doing."

"That was the last computer. Now what?" Nikki asked. "Is there anything about this place that's familiar to you?"

"No nothing."

Nikki turned around and leaned against the large computer screen. "Well that sucks." She then pulled up the cuff of one of her gloves and revealed a watch. "Holy crap, it's already ten." She then looked at the hedgehog next to her. "So, do you have anywhere to sleep tonight, or do you need a place?"

He gave her a weird look. "Sleep?"

"Well yeah."

"What is that?"

Nikki's eyes widened. "Okay, you have some serious amnesia if you don't know what sleep is. How do I explain this, umm…sleep is when you rest, you need it to give you energy for the next day."

"I don't do that."

"You don't sleep…at all?"

The hedgehog shook his head.

"Huh…that's new." Nikki thought for a minute.

"If you need to sleep, I can take you back home. I'll continue looking around and see what I can find." Dark offered.

Nikki thought for a moment. "Alright, but we should meet again tomorrow…lets see…how about 10 in the morning, we can meet back here."

Dark nodded. "Alright."

* * *

After getting back home, Nikki went to the master computer. She was expecting a call from someone to come in at any moment. Suddenly, the call came through on the video screen.

It was Jodi. "Hi Nikki."

"Hey Jodi, how's everything going?"

"Eh, not much going on here. Pretty boring as usual."

"Yeah, I'd expect that." Nikki laughed.

"So how about you? I'm glad to see you're feeling better. You never get sick."

"Yeah, that was definitely a first for me. But, I'm good now. Went for a run."

"That's nothing new, you always go out and run around."

The hedgehog gave her friend a look. "And you always sit at your computer."

"Touché." The ferret laughed. "So, how are the others?"

"They're doing good. Su's at home, Crash is hanging with my Uncle Charlie, Zephyr and Gale went out with their Extreme Gear, and Gyro's at night school."

"That's good."

Nikki noticed Jodi blushing. "Jodi… Hello, Mobius to Jodi."

"Hmm, what?"

"Hey, no spacing out. That's my thing." Nikki smiled.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about Gyro again."

"You _really_ like him?"

"Yeah, why? Is something wrong?"

"What? No, of course not." _I'm just worried about the fact that he's a nanite machine and how you'll feel when you find out._

"So, what about you? Like anyone?"

"What me? No, I-"

Jodi giggled a little. "Then why are _you_ blushing?"

"Blushing? I'm not blushing." Nikki then looked at the glass desk and noticed her friend was telling the truth. _Geez as if blushing isn't bad enough, my blue fur makes it stand out._

"So…who is he?"

"I don't…" She noticed Jodi giving her a 'don't deny it' look and finally gave in. "Okay, okay. So I met someone while I was out."

Jodi smiled. "I knew it! What does he look like? What's his name?"

"Well, he's a black hedgehog with gold stripes and-wait a minute, I just met the guy!"

"Ooo love at first sight, how romantic."

Nikki gave her a 'you're joking right' look.

"Alright, alright, I won't push it. I know who much you don't like the 'lovey dovey' stuff, but we'll see."

Nikki rolled her eyes.

"Well, I better go. I've got to recalibrate the shield tomorrow."

"Yeah…I'm gonna pretend I know what you're talking about and just say 'okay, talk to you later'."

Jodi laughed. "Okay, Good night Nikki. I miss you."

"Miss you too Sis, goodnight." Nikki then turned off the computer.

At that moment, Nikki heard the alarm go off outside. She then heard a familiar voice on the other side. "Come on Seth, really?"

The alarm turned off. "Sorry."

The familiar blonde lynx walked through the door. "We've been through this. Just because I'm made of metal, doesn't mean I'm a threat, alright?" He then shook his head. "Tails really needs to fix that."

Gyro suddenly looked up and saw Nikki who was standing by the computer. She had her arms crossed and she was tapping her foot. "Okay, why are you looking at me like I did something?"

"We need to talk."

* * *

Author's Note: Oh boy, this should be good. Unfortunately, we won't be able to find out how this pans out until the chapter after the next one. But don't worry, next chapter should be good. We'll get to catch up with Trace again, but it's gonna be one wild ride.

For update information...check Profile :)


	10. Chapter 27: Renegades

Well, Here it is. Chapter 27.

Forgive my spelling errors for this Beginning Author's note, it' 3 am right now as I'm writing it. I'll fix it later. lol.

I have a feeling a lot of you are going to look like this O_O after this chapter. Lets just say that this is where I say 'everything is about to hit the fan.'

Reviews:

A lot of interesting reviews this time around.

-Yes I know what Gasuntiet means even though I can't spell it lol. XD It is what you say after someone sneezes, but Nikki can be kind of scatter brained sometimes, so it fits her ;) Also, if you've seen Disney's "Tangled" Flynn says that to Rapunzel when she tells him her name.

"Rapunzel."

P

P/ "...Gasuntiet."

lol.

-Thanks for the consistent reviews Peace and Caprice. *hug* Definitely helps the story development. And Monica Hedgie, thanks for the *thumbs up* ;)

Well, I won't keep you from what you desire any longer.

Enjoy.

Oh, and you may want some tissues by you just in case. You'll see.

* * *

_**Chapter 27: Renegades**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

At Former Station Square, Trace, Caper and Rain had just got back from their first solo mission. It was a simple rescue of the people in Station Square, but it was something.

"Well mates, pretty successful for our first solo mission, eh?" Caper smiled as he stretched.

"Yeah, thanks to us, a lot of people in the city limits are safe." Rain commented.

Trace thought for a moment. "Yeah, but something's bothering me though."

"What do you mean, Trace?" Rain asked.

The wolf answered. "I don't know, it just feels like something bad is gonna happen. I mean, we heard all that commotion going on downtown."

"Ah, so you kids were out there when that was going down, huh?"

The group looked over at the owner of the market, Jack.

"You know about it?" Trace asked him.

"Me? It's been going around here all morning. Apparently something attacked a hundred robots in the outskirts of the city. The guy looked a lot like that Shadow fella, caused quite a stir with the locals in that area."

"Shadow?…" Rain then looked at the wolf next to her. "But Trace, you said-"

"Yeah, I know. There's no way it's him." Trace then returned his attention to Jack. "So what happened after that? They didn't kill the guy, did they?"

"Oh, I certainly hope not." Rain said worriedly, this wasn't the first time the Mobians in that area had mistook someone as the Ultimate Lifeform.

"Naw they didn't, but wait till you hear this. They caught the guy and Valor went in to check it out."

"Wait, he sent Valor?" Trace then placed his hand on his head and shook his head back and forth. "What was Claymore thinking? He's way too trigger happy for that."

Jack continued. "Well, he did. And just at the moment Val was going to question the guy, a blue hedgehog came rushing in."

_Aww no…Nikki, you didn't. _Trace sighed loudly and shook his head again. _Why doesn't she listen?_

"Anyway, she protected the black hedgehog and then the two just disappeared."

The three looked at each other for a moment, they then turned back to the shopkeeper with matching confused looks. "They…disappeared?"

"Yeah, just poof. Into thin air." Jack made hand signs to signify his point.

_Oh boy…_ Trace muttered.

"I don' know, that sound kinda fishy to me, mate." Caper thought out loud.

"Well, that's what people have been saying. Just passing it along is all." Jack responded.

"Oh, I better go and get my supplies ready for the next run. I'll be right back." Rain then ran toward her house.

"We'll wait for ya!" Caper yelled.

"So, Valor's not back yet?" Trace asked Jack.

"Nope, haven't seen him yet."

Trace nodded. "Thanks."

The wolf then looked to his right and saw another group walking toward them. Claymore, Valor's older brother and the leader of the Station Square Freedom Fighters, was heading out to help with rescues along with Caper's dad, Vault, and Scythe, a liger from Cat Country.

Trace knew Claymore very well, he looked up to him as a leader. He had the same kind of cowboy hat that Valor had, but it was made of dark brown leather. His dragon skin was also much darker than his younger brother.

Vault was pretty much like a copy of his son, only his fur was a little darker as well. An eye patch covered his left eye, which slightly covered a scar that ran from his eyebrow to his chin. He also had additional scars on his left shoulder and his tail. Unlike his son however, Vault had what looked to be iron boots that just fit over his toes and were strapped all the way to the end of each foot. They were steal toed boots made for primal Mobians like Vault.

Scythe was the one that Trace wasn't too familiar with and something about him just made Trace's fur wanna stand up. He was a primal Mobian, just like Vault and Claymore, but he still had a more primitive look about him.

As they walked by, Claymore stopped for a moment as his comrade talked to his son. "Eh, Son. How was your first mission?"

"It was great, a little boring though."

His father laughed. "Yeah, escort missions can seem that way."

Claymore then looked at Trace. He then placed his tail on his shoulder. "I heard about what happened yesterday…good job, kid."

Now the reason why Claymore used his tail instead of his hand is because, unlike so many komodo dragons on Mobius, Claymore retained a kind hearted persona that his ancestors adopted after the first calamity that hit their world. He knows his claws can cause harm to others even by accident. So, he will often use his tail more than his own hands when he greets someone or if he needs to make contact.

"Thank you, Sir. But it wasn't just me that-"

"I know." Claymore interrupted. "Best keep that quiet for now, alright?"

Trace nodded. "Yes sir."

After that, the group continued forward. As he walked by, Scythe gave Trace a wicked look that sent a shiver down his spine. The wolf's instincts were going off and it was telling him that Scythe couldn't be trusted.

The teenage wallaby looked at his friend. "Trace, mate I know that look. What's goin' on in that head of yours?"

"There's something about that Scythe guy that I don't like."

"No duh, the guy creeps me out too. He always has."

"No…it's something else." The wolf looked at them as they sped up and leapt over the rubble and out of sight.

* * *

Still thinking that Scythe was up to something, Trace follows them, along with Caper.

"I still think we shoulda waited for Rain, mate." Caper yelled as he ran next to his comrade.

"Well, I can't wait that long for her to be ready." Trace's senses were going off like a siren, leading him to the direction Claymore and his group went.

The two teens got to the scene and couldn't believe what they were seeing. Claymore and Vault were fighting against Scythe. It was apparent they had been fighting each other for a short while, each had scratches and wounds to prove that. The liger was ruthlessly attacking the two. Claymore was trying to fight back, but was being too careful not to scratch him with his toxic claws.

"Stand down, Scythe! Are you mad?" The dragon yelled with anger.

The liger looked like he was ready to strike again. "You've grown too soft, _old man._ It's my turn to take over!"

As Scythe slashed the komodo, Vault leapt in and kicked Scythe's head.

The wallaby looked back at his leader. "Sir, you 'aight?"

But the liger recovered quickly and roared. Vault stood his ground, determined to protect not only his superior, but his best friend. Scythe came in fast and attacked the wallaby, but he still held the large cat back. Vault felt his feet start to slide out from under him.

"DAD!"

Vault looked up at the teenage wallaby who was sliding down the hill along with Trace who was running full speed toward Scythe. "No! Stay back!"

Trace came into range first. He activated his lightning cuff and plowed it right into Scythe's face. The liger felt his feet slide back a little, but other than that, he didn't budge. All that did was piss him off.

The liger roared. "You little shit!"

Scythe took the back of his large hand and slammed it into Trace's stomach, knocking not only the wind out of the wolf, but sent him flying and he painfully hit the ground.

"Leave 'em alone!" Caper came rushing in and tried to kick the liger, but Scythe just caught him by the tail and then threw him to the ground.

Seeing that Scythe was going to attack his son, Vault leapt in the way and took the full force of Scythe's attack.

"NO!" Caper helplessly cried in horror.

Trace had came to just to see the horrific scene playing out before him. _"You bastard!"_

The wolf's eyes began to glow. He then got up and ran in at Scythe. He activated the lightning cuffs one more time and then dug one of them into the side of Scythe's face. The liger roared loudly in pain and then tried to attack Trace, but the wolf was predicting Scythe's moves…only barely. One mistake and it would be over for the wolf. Noticing he needed help, Caper joined in and the two tried to subdue the massive wild cat. Everything seemed to go by in a blur, blood splattered in every direction. Caper was slashed through his side and his left leg. Trace was forcefully grabbed by his arm, but fought back by pulling himself up and kicking Scythe in the face. He also tried to activate his lightning cuff, but Scythe crushed it in his massive grip, breaking Trace's hand and shocking the wolf in the process.

Hearing Trace and Caper yell, Claymore gave one swipe of his tail and tripped the massive cat. "You…leave those kids…out of this…you hear me?"

Seeing that Scythe was heading for the injured dragon, Trace got back up and hit Scythe with his other lightning cuff. The big cat then rushed in at Trace and grabbed him, his claws dug into the wolf and he threw Trace into the cliff side. Trace's head hit first and he was out cold.

* * *

_How could this happen…_

_How could one of our own just…_

The wolf sat in the dark hallway of the infirmary, his back just barely touching the wall behind him. Bandages were wrapped around his chest and back, but he couldn't feel his recent wounds, he was completely numb. He looked at the cast on his right hand. As he began to remember every detail of what happened, his eyes closed tightly shut.

Rain walked out of one of the rooms and softly closed the door behind her. She saw Trace in the hallway alone, her ears slanted downward. The painted wolf walked over to him and knelt next to him. His golden eyes glowed in the darkness, but seemed to have lost their luster.

"…Trace?" She just barely touched his shoulder, but the wolf cringed as his mind was brought back to reality.

His friend gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry. How did you manage to get out here?"

"Can't stay in there. Don't worry about me, I'm fine out here." But he was far from fine and Rain knew it. But she wasn't about to argue with him and she didn't want to leave him alone out here either.

The grey wolf looked to his comrade next to him, she looked as though she was still trying to hold back tears that threatened to fall. She looked into his golden eyes, the only part of him she could clearly see in the darkness. They weren't as bright as she remembered, but they showed compassion.

The wolf then asked her. "Are…_you_ okay?"

Rain just couldn't hold back anymore. "Oh Trace!" She embraced him.

Trace held in a disgruntled growl as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. It did hurt him, but he didn't care. They both needed each other right now. He returned her embrace, his eyes tightly closed.

The painted wolf then continued. "Why did this have to happen?…This isn't fair…"

"If there's one thing I've learned about life, Rain…is that it's never fair."

"But Caper's dad…oh Chaos, Trace…"

The wolf held her tighter, as if his closest friend would slip away from him.

"…Valor and Caper…they'll never be the same…and you…" Rain trailed off.

Suddenly, Valor walked out of the room that Claymore was in. Both teen wolves looked at him, they could tell by the way he stood that Claymore had passed.

Both angered by this, Valor and Trace slammed their fists into the walls behind them, but Trace did so with his injured hand. "Gah, Damn it!"

The two sniper cats almost walked down the hall when they saw the three of them. They stopped and hid back around the corner.

"Best we leave them alone for now, we can tell them later." The black and white cat whispered.

"But Claymore has to know what's going out there." The orange tabby whispered back.

The wolf then looked over at their direction. "I know you're back there Rook, and Flash, I can see your tail."

Both cats cursed under their breath. They then ran toward the group.

Rook, the black and white cat, spoke first. "Scythe is in the center of headquarters right now. He's demanding his right to lead."

All three looked at the two cats in shock. "He's What?"

The orange tabby, Flash, jumped in. "It's crazy, everyone's going bonkers out there."

"That cat's not gettin' away with this, not by a long shot." And with that, Valor took off out of the infirmary.

In one fluid motion, Trace got up and ran after him.

"Trace wait!" Rain ran after him.

The two cats followed suit.

* * *

"Valor!" Trace called ahead as he began to catch up to his teacher.

The dragon was shocked to hear the wolf behind him and whipped around. "Trace?…Kid, what the hell are ya doin'? You shouldn't be up, let alone chasin' me down!"

Trace stopped when he caught up to him and tried to catch his breath.

"Ugh, you're so damn stubborn." Valor muttered. He then began to run again in the direction of the center of town.

Trace knew that was Valor's way of saying 'I don't like it, but go ahead and follow' and then continued until he caught up to the dragon.

* * *

Trace and Valor got there first and the first thing Valor did was as soon as he saw Scythe he ran in at him and hit him with his muscular tail, knocking the big cat to the ground. It really took all he had not to just slice that murderer open right then and there. Valor's dragon eyes glared at the liger, hatred burning behind them.

Rain, Rook and Flash arrive at the scene. The sound of guns readying to fire made all of them freeze up, except for Valor, who was still staring Scythe down, but stepped in front of the kids to protect them.

Trace looked at them all, shocked. "What? You're all taking his side? He's the one that killed Claymore! You should be pointing your guns at him not us!"

Scythe had already picked himself off of the floor. "You're gonna believe what a few kids tell you?"

"I _trust_ my team Scythe…" Valor then gave the liger an accusing look. "…which is more than I can say for you." The dragon wasn't going to take his eyes off of Scythe for even a second. He knew how fast and strong the liger was.

The liger smiled wickedly. "Oh, I'm not denying that I didn't kill Claymore. However I would think that you would teach your apprentices the rules of life…Only the strong survive. You see, look around you. All of these Mobians are prepared to protect me…because they're afraid of what would happen if they step out of line. The question here is, _Val_, what are _you _going to do about it?"

The dragon's gaze shifted to the teenagers behind him, he then returned his gaze to the murderous cat before him. "Nothing." He then turned around and started walking away. "Come on, lets go."

"What that's it? You're just gonna let him get away with this?" Trace yelled with anger.

"Trace…" Rain whispered. "Don't forget, Caper's still in intensive care, we have to be there for him."

Rook joined in with a hushed tone. "She's right, and you can't do that if you're all dead. Leave it for now, we'll think of something."

As they walked away, Trace shot back a hateful look toward Scythe, who returned it with a wicked smile. The wolf could feel his fur begin to stand up as he fought back the urge to lash out against the murderous traitor.

* * *

Back at the infirmary, the group had made it back to Caper's room. The wallaby was awake and the teens filled him in on what happened at the center of headquarters.

Caper's eyes were wide open. "They did what?"

"That's what happened." Trace nodded.

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me mate?" He looked to Rain. "He is kiddin' right?"

Rain shook her head.

Rook answered for her. "Believe me, we wish that this was some kind of sick joke, but it's true. They all took Scythe's side, the whole lot of them."

Caper sighed. "This isn't happening." The wallaby then noticed Valor walk in and the others followed his gaze.

"Rook, Flash, come with me. I need to talk to you two. Rain, you might wanna come as well."

The three looked at each other and then looked at Trace and Caper.

"I'll be right back." Rain said before she left out the door to follow her teacher, the two cats followed close behind.

After the three teens walked through the door, Valor looked at Trace. "You…stay."

The wolf crossed his arms. "I'm not a dog, Val."

Caper nearly laughed.

"Still, don't go anywhere." The dragon then gave him a light smile and then closed the door.

Trace allowed a long drawn out sigh escape him. He then looked at his comrade across from him.

The wallaby gave him a smile. "Need an ear mate? I've got two."

The wolf looked at his friend. "How can you be so casual? You're not phased by any of this at all? I mean, do you need help dealing with all this?"

Caper gave him a slightly confused look. "This _is _me dealin' with this, Trace."

Trace's eyes widened a little. "Oh. Sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No no Mate, you're 'aight. Believe me." His ears lowered, but only a little. "You were still passed out, so you didn't see much."

The wolf leaned against the wall and closed his eyes a minute. He wouldn't admit it, but he was exhausted. Rain and Valor were right, he shouldn't have been up and about at all.

"Remember that one time you asked about the shackle on my leg and I told you I didn't remember where I got it?"

Trace returned his gaze to him. "Yeah."

"Well, I remember…In fact I never forgot it. I just wasn't comfortable talking about it."

"Why not? You know all about Rain and I."

"Eh, just didn't wanna bother anyone."

The wolf almost laughed. "Trust me, more things have bothered me than a sad back story." _Not gonna name any names…Nikki._

Caper let out a cleansing sigh and then began to talk. "Well, it all started back home."

"In Station Square?"

Caper laughed. "No, Downunda."

Trace smiled. "Sorry, continue."

"It was one of the first places that the metal heads hit before the whole war actually started. My family and I managed to escape. But soon after that, Me mum and I were captured. I was too young to know exactly what was going on back then, but I understand it all now. Anyway, me mum protected me and…well, you can put the pieces together.

"Yeah, same thing that happened to me. I get ya." Trace nodded.

"Me dad came and got me out, but he was too late to save her."

Trace's ears started to lower. Caper read his look. "Yeah I know, you're sorry. You don't have to say it."

The wolf actually liked that Caper could read him like a book. It made talking about things like this a lot easier.

"But you know the one thing I always remembered growing up…it was what she would've wanted. Me mum wouldn't have wanted me to be sad or frightened. She would've wanted me to _live_ my life. And that's what me dad wanted for me too. That's why no matter what happens, I'm me."

Trace sighed. "I really envy you, Pal. There's no way I could pull that off. Too much shit has happened in my life for that." He then looked back at the door. "I'll tell you this much. As soon as I'm strong enough, Scythe is-"

"Okay wait mate. Let me stop ya right there. You're missin' the point here."

"And what point is that?"

"This whole 'eye for an eye' business…it doesn't make any sense. Think about it mate, what's killin' the guy gonna do huh? Absolutely nothin'. It's not gonna bring me dad back and it's not gonna bring Clay back either. All it's gonna do is make you no better than he is. And let me tell ya somethin' mate, with your sense of honor, that guy can never measure up to you. Believe me, when the time comes, we'll kick his ass, but when we do…we'll do it right."

Trace's eyes were wide. He couldn't believe this was coming from Caper, the carefree guy in the whole group. The wolf then smiled. "Wow, where the heck did all that come from?"

"I think I saw it in a movie once." Caper was totally joking and he gave his friend a smile.

* * *

Author's Note: Omg, I'm horrible. Don't worry, We'll check back with these guys later.

Next Chapter, we pick up right where we left off in Chapter 26 and finally figure out what Nikki needs to talk to Gyro about.

For update information...check my profile :)


	11. Chapter 28: Armor Down

Here it is! Chapter 28 finally. Sorry it took so long.

Reviews:

First of all...Thank you for all the reviews. :)

-There's been quite a few questions about the time traveling. And here's my answer...

"Be patient my loyal readers, good things come to those who wait."

Trace: What the heck was that? You think you're Mr. Miyagi or something?

(Shoots a look at Trace.)

"Shut up, Trace. You're not even in this chapter."

-PeaceGem4: Thank you :) And I feel sorry for Caper too, poor kid :( And about Scythe...he's on a power trip. Some guys are just that psycho, I don't get it either.

-CapricePrower: Seriously! You _must_ be psychic. I found a note that I wrote a long time ago for this chapter and well...see for yourself. And yes, I do care about your day. _The best inspiration comes from the life you live._ Hmm... that's pretty good. Might use that as my quote lol.

-Oceanbreeze7: I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far. :D Don't worry, Shadow will be making an appearance again. He is one of my favorites after all. XD

-xXLexiXx: lol Thanks :) Yep loved that movie. We'll be seeing more of Dark too a little later :D

-xXKuriXx: It's so good to hear from you, Kuri :D Thanks for the review, gave me a confidence boost :D

-sonicathehedgehog:

Nikki: Hey, she has the same name as me. (laughs)

Anyway, thanks for the " ;) " every chapter so far. It lets me know that the chapters are good and flowing :D I know, that doesn't make since, but I love it anyway XD

-Mastress Tessa: Wow! You read all 28 chapters in one day? Geez that's crazy! I can't even read that fast lol. Thank you so much :D

Okay, so I think that's everyone. Anyway here's Chapter 28: Armor Down. Enjoy! :D

* * *

_**Chapter 28: Armor Down**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

Gyro suddenly looked up and saw Nikki who was standing by the computer. She had her arms crossed and she was tapping her foot. "Okay, why are you looking at me like I did something?"

"We need to talk."

The lynx sighed and walked down the stairs to the first floor of the hanger. He stopped when he was in front of her. "What's on your mind?"

"You have tell her."

"Tell who what?"

"Jodi, she has to know who you are."

Gyro gave Nikki a confusing look. "I really don't see where you're getting at."

"She likes you, okay? It's not a crush, she _really _likes you."

Her friend nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Y-you know? What do you mean, you know?"

The lynx blushed a little.

"Oh Chaos…you like her too." Nikki smiled for minute but then shook it off. "Whoa, wait a minute. Back up here." She then took a deep breath. "Look, if you really like her, you can't keep this kind of secret from her."

Nikki then crossed her arms. "Either you need to tell her or tell me that _I_ can tell her."

"Pfft, yeah sure. I can see how that's gonna go. 'Hi Jodi, how are you today? Oh and by the way, I'm a robot."

"Nanite machine…big difference Gyro."

"No, it's basically the same thing, Nikki. It comes down to that one fact, I'm not made of organic material. I'm not alive.

"You are alive Gyro. And if Jodi truly loves you…she won't care what you are. She's my sister. I just want her to be happy. Isn't that what you want for her too?"

Gyro closed his eyes for a minute. "Shh."

Nikki gave him a slightly shocked look. "What? Did you just 'shh' me?"

He then shh'd her again. "Shh, I'm picking up something…It's an Exus transmission."

* * *

At Stern Orphanage, Jodi was sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, someone knocked on her door, by the sound of it, it was urgent. "Jodi? Jodi, come quick!"

The ferret leapt out of bed and quickly opened the door. "What's wrong?"

The young kid was trying to tell her what happened, but her voice was still shaking from what she saw. "I-it's the shield."

Before the kid could finish, Jodi grabbed her tool belt from the nightstand and ran out of the room, the child followed close behind. The ferret got to the courtyard and froze from what she saw. The shield was flickering on and off and was beginning to shut down. _Of course, I plan on fixing the darn thing tomorrow and it decides to break down now?_

One of the teenagers, a cat, shouted from the roof. "It's been doing this for several minutes now!"

"Cinder, is Skyler up there with you?" Jodi shouted back.

The female calico answered. "Yes! She's trying to keep the shield up, but it looks like it's not responding!"

"Tell her to keep trying, I'll be up there in a few minutes."

"There's also some robots about ten feet from the shield's border, I can see them from here!"

_They must've been able to sense the frequency weakening in the barrier. _"Keep an eye on them! If they so much as take one step closer, I wanna know about it!"

Cinder nodded. "Got it!"

Jodi then turned to the kid next to her. "Okay, remember the game we played last month?"

The kid answered. "Yeah."

"Well, lets play that again. Go to all the rooms and wake everybody up. Tell them the password and hide downstairs. Don't let anyone else find you until I give the password, okay?"

The kid nodded.

Jodi sent the young one on her way. "Go!"

The calico on the roof suddenly saw something hurtling toward the shield. "Heads up!"

The kids looked toward the flying spinning object. Jodi eyes widened. _The shield can't hold it…it's gonna break through… _"Take cover!"

As Jodi predicted, the large object flawlessly flew right through the shield. Everyone ducked out of the way as it smashed into the ground. Dust and debris bellowed up from the epicenter. The ferret looked behind her and could see two glowing red eyes staring right at her. "Rift! Front courtyard!

"On it!" A cougar, a little bit shorter than Jodi ran in and leapt into the air. He pulled his fist back and then plowed it into the robot, crushing the metal frame. He leapt back and readied himself for another go.

Jodi then heard Cinder's voice from the roof. "Two more!"

No more than two seconds after that, the two objects came crashing into the courtyard. All of the older kids had prepared for an event like this. Ever since the first time the malfunctioning robot broke into the orphanage, some of the teenagers that had planned on leaving, ended up staying to protect the orphanage from another attack. And they had practiced for this scenario.

Right as the robot closest to Jodi started bolting toward her, the ferret took out two flash bombs out her tool belt and threw them right into the robot's visor as it opened. The visor closed and the light from the flash bombs shined through and caused the robot to go out of control and then crash into the wall.

The robot behind her came rushing in at her. Cinder jumped from the roof and landed next to Jodi. The cat gently maneuvered Jodi away from the robot's path and then rushed in at the robot. She unsheathed her claws and then dug them into the side of the metal monstrosity. She then leapt up and then bolted in the other direction, drawing the robot's attention away from the other kids.

While the robot was distracted, Jodi ran for the building and ran toward the stairwell to the roof. _I have to get up there and help Skyler get the shield back up._

Suddenly, Cinder turned around and gave the robot a smirk. In her hand was a lighter, the flame already lit. She then dropped the lighter to the floor

where the robot oil was splattered and the flame traveled at incredible speed toward the robot. As soon as the fire hit the spot where Cinder had sliced the armor, the robot's circuitry was engulfed in flames. The cat picked her lighter back up and dodged as the robot came crashing down. She then snapped her fingers and the fire disappeared.

"Nice work, Cindy." Rift yelled from where he was with a smile.

The cat smiled back in return. Her attention was suddenly drawn back toward the outer reaches of the shield. "More coming in."

The cougar laughed. "Bring em' on."

As more robots began to invade the orphanage and climb over the wall. All of the teens were doing their best to keep them out of the building.

Jodi had almost made it to the top of the stairs, but stopped a minute to catch her breath. "Next project…build an elevator…" She then continued and made it to the roof. "Skyler!"

The raven looked behind her and saw the ferret running out of the doorway. "Jodi, good you're here. I've tried everything and I still have no idea what's going on with this thing."

"It's alright, let me have a look." Jodi wasted no time and started looking at the machine.

Skyler nodded. "Kay, I got your back." She then took a tool belt that was next to her and swung it over her shoulder. The raven then strapped it on and stood at the center of the roof, readying herself for the attack.

With at least five robots on the ground level, another Exus Beast came rushing in and climbed up the side of the wall across from the roof. The monstrous robot then leapt up and grabbed the edge of the roof, attempting to pull itself up.

Being a bird Mobian, Skyler possessed the same ability that her kind had always carried…The raven reached into one of the pouches on her tool belt and took out what looked to be two hilts without a sword attached to either one. She then extended her primary feathers on her forearms. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the monster before her. She pushed a button on the top of each of the hilts, a circular golden ring of blades resembling that of a fan appeared on each one.

The robot roared and then charged toward her. The raven pulled one of her arms back and then slashed the air. A massive wind blade went searing toward the robot and sliced right through, the robot collapsed on the ground in two halves. Skyler didn't rest after that. She continued to keep her eyes open, knowing that another robot would try another way to get to the roof.

"Is the shield fixed yet?" Cinder yelled from the ground floor.

Skyler looked over the edge of the roof and yelled for her to hear. "No, not yet!"

Rift then shouted. "Then why aren't they attacking?"

Jodi heard that from where she was and pulled herself out from the machine, just enough to peek out from it. "What?"

The robots were facing the other direction looking off into the distance. The ferret completely pulled herself out of the machine and ran up until she was next to Skyler.

"Looks like another one is coming in fast!" Rift called up to the two girls.

Jodi thought that she recognized what it was. "No…that's."

The object stopped spinning and landed at the top of the front wall. The familiar blue hedgehog glanced back toward the roof and smiled. "Hey Sis, did ya miss me?"

Jodi smiled back. "Nikki, man am I glad to see you."

The hedgehog winked and then turned her attention to the mass of robots in front of her. She then shook her head back and forth, as if unimpressed. "You need this many robots to attack an orphanage full of kids? You guys must be really bored."

"Twisted is the word I would've chose." The lynx commented from a nearby tree. He then raised one of his eyebrows. "How about we straighten them out?"

Nikki smirked at Gyro and then leapt into the air. She then spun and hurled herself toward the army of robots. The living chainsaw sliced through the first wave with no effort.

The lynx jumped out of the tree and landed gracefully on the ground. He then placed both hands on the ground. _Etavitca. Merge._

The nanites began to merge into the ground and Gyro was able to control the sand around him, making a stronger foundation for the nanites to take form. As one of the robots charged at him, Gyro blocked with an iron shield. It looked like he was controlling the sand and turning it's basic composition into metal. The sand swirled around him, it liked like he was in the middle of dust devil. The lynx then raised his hand and then sent the sand in separate directions, taking out at least twenty robots at once.

Nikki stopped spinning and landed next to Gyro, readying herself for the next strike.

The fight escaladed and the two managed to take out almost all of the robots in front of the orphanage.

Suddenly, they both notice a couple robots shoot in from the distance and start to take off over the wall.

"Oh no you don't." Nikki grabbed one of them and pulled it back over the wall to the outside.

Gyro did the same to the next one, but while they were busy trying to keep those two out, three more went soaring overhead and over the wall. "Damn!"

Gyro and Nikki changed tactic and leapt over the wall to follow. The lynx looked back at his comrade. "I'll stop the others from getting further in. You help take out the ones already here."

"Right." Nikki nodded and then took off after the three robots they chased in. The hedgehog took out one of them, but she was surprised by who had taken out the other two that were just ahead of her. "Cinder, Rift, you guys are still here?"

"Of course. We're needed here." Cinder replied.

Rift then shrugged. "Besides, not like there's anywhere else we can go eh?"

Two more robots tried to get over, but Gyro stopped them quickly. But before one of them fell back over the wall, it shot out one blast toward the roof and crashed into the top of broadcast tower.

"Shit!" There was slight worry in the hedgehog's voice as she yelled. "Jodi, Skyler, you okay?"

Skyler yelled back for her to hear. "Yeah, it missed us! We're fine!"

Nikki let out a huge sigh of relief.

All of the teens froze as they heard a menacing sound on the other side of the wall. They could feel the earth shake beneath them, but it wasn't an earthquake by any means. It came in waves…like footsteps.

The colossal robot entered into the orphanage. It reached it's massive arm over the wall, it's claws dug into the earth as it continued forward.

None of them had ever seen an Exus robot this massive, not even the young Freedom Fighters that were now staring at towering metal monster. The blue hedgehog leapt out of the way as the other arm forcefully hit the ground. "Heh, this could be a problem."

Cinder gave her a slightly confused look. She then stated with sarcasm. "Naw really, you think?"

"Jodi! How's that shield comin'?" Nikki shouted for her 'sister' to hear.

Jodi shouted back. "The last blast hit the receiver, I can't get a signal to start the shield up!"

_Damn._

Nikki then looked to her comrade. "Gyro, get to the roof-!" Before she could finish, she noticed the lynx had already gone and was now jumping from the wall to the edge of the roof. "And, you're already there."

The hedgehog then sighed. "Right." She then turned back to the metal colossus and glanced at Cinder and Rift as she pulled the cuff of her glove. "You two ready?"

The cougar slammed his fist into his hand, proving that he was more than ready. "You bet."

"What do you need us to do?" Cinder offered.

"Kay. Cinder, you keep your eyes open for a weak point. When you find it, give us a heads up. Rift, you help Gyro defend the building from here."

"What are you gonna do?" Rift asked in confusion.

The hedgehog winked at him. "What I do best."

She then took off toward the massive robot and jumped up on it's hand. "Hey! Junk Yard Reject! Down here!"

The colossus looked down at the young hedgehog, it's red eyes glowed brightly. Nikki leapt off of the robot's hand as a laser hit where she had stood, but instead of hitting her, it hit it's own hand with the laser. That wasn't enough to phase it however. The young hedgehog had just landed on the robot's other arm, holding onto a piece of metal and swung herself up to the robot's shoulder. She then laughed. "Wow, you're aim is horrible. I've met six year olds that can shoot better than you."

The robot seemed to growl at Nikki's comment and then tried to shoot her with another laser. But Nikki simply dodged and then moved over the robot's head to the other shoulder.

As Nikki kept the robot distracted, Cinder had came up with a plan of her own. When the robot had shot it's own arm, it left it's circuitry open for attack. She gave Rift a look and signaled the location of the robot's weak point with her own hand. Rift nodded and the two switched positions. Rift ran in and plowed his fist into the robot's open wound. The robot roared loudly as the sparks flew from it's hand.

"Yes!" The cougar yelled as he leapt back to safe ground.

"Good work!" Nikki shouted back with encouragement.

But her look suddenly changed as she heard a sound that she never heard for an Exus robot before. It almost sounded like a propeller on a helicopter. She looked behind her and saw the back of the robot begin to open up._ Now what?_

That was when she realized something. _This isn't an Exus Robot…It's a Carrier!_

She shouted back for the others to hear. "Get back! It's an Exus Carrier!"

"What?" Gyro shouted in shock as he heard his comrade yell. He looked down from the edge of the roof and saw that what she said had been the fact. _Damn!_

The lynx had to make a tough decision. Either he revealed himself as what he really was and get the shield up and running again at the risk of destroying himself, or risk the entire orphanage to be overrun by an army that even Nikki and himself would never be able to hold back. Survival of those around him won over the latter and Gyro ran toward the machine.

He knelt next to Jodi and looked at her, his gold eyes showed that he was worried about what he was about to do. "We don't have time for me to explain what I have planned. Do you trust me?"

Jodi read Gyro's eyes and could sense his fear, but along with that, she could also sense his undying determination within. She nodded. "Yes."

Gyro then placed both hands on the machine. He closed his eyes and focused, he then whispered out loud. "Etavitca…merge."

The nanites responded and Gyro's eyes glowed. The lynx's form began to change slightly, it almost looked like he was spiritual in form. The mass of nanites surrounded the machine in what looked to be a cloud of glowing ash. The generator began to spin and in a sudden burst of power, the energy for the shield flew into the air in a golden light. The shield spanned out and began to cover the entire orphanage. As the shield approached the colossal robot, Nikki moved back to the robot's shoulder and braced herself. The shear energy from shield along with Gyro's nanites sliced right though the metal monster, splitting it in half. The shield also hit some oil in the robot and an explosion followed. The robots inside the living ship were engulfed in flames. Nikki jumped off the robot's shoulder and landed safely on the ground. With her pyro-telepathy, Cinder put the fire out before the robot came crashing to the floor. The ground shook as the robot collided with the cobblestone below.

Back on the roof, the nanites began to form back around Gyro. The lynx was breathing heavily, his eyes tightly shut as if he was in pain. He opened his eyes and looked toward Jodi, who in turn, looked like she was trying to make sense of what she had just witnessed. Knowing that they would be safe, Gyro smiled at her a little. He suddenly passed out and fell to the floor.

"Gyro!" Jodi knelt next to him. She then turned to the raven that was standing nearby. "Skyler, there's a black suitcase under my bed. Go quickly."

Skyler nodded. "Right." She ran past them and down the stairs.

Hearing Jodi's yell, Nikki dashed up the mangled metal to the top of the wall. She then leapt from the wall to the roof. Seeing Gyro, the hedgehog ran to her comrade's side.

* * *

Nikki's voice was barley heard as everything began to come back into focus. "Wait, I think he's coming back. Gyro…can you hear me?"

Gyro's eyes opened and he was able to make out Nikki and Jodi through the blur in his vision. The lynx sat up a little supporting himself on his elbows. He then shook his head back and forth to try and clear his head. "Man, it feels like my head's been through a blender."

"Thank you for that scenario, Pal." Nikki gave a slight look of disgust. She then laughed a little, now relieved that her friend was alright. "You really should leave the crazy stunts to me, Gyro."

The lynx smiled at her, obviously feeling better. He then said jokingly. "Awe come on, you've gotta save some fun for me too, you know."

The two started laughing, both understanding the joke. Suddenly, Jodi hugged Gyro, which surprised him and Nikki both. The ferret then whispered. "Thank Mobius you're okay."

Nikki smiled, she knew where this was going.

Gyro was still a little confused about what was going on. "Wait a minute. You saw what happened earlier right?…It doesn't bother you that I'm-"

"No." Jodi interrupted. "I know what you are…" Which was true, Jodi was smart enough to know that those were nanites flying around the machine just a few moments ago. Her sapphire irises met his golden eyes as she continued. "…you're my friend…and…you're also my hero."

Gyro's eyes widened, he then blushed a little. He had no idea what to say to that. Jodi was also blushing at what she had said herself. "Well…say something."

"I-" Gyro was trying to figure out what to say to her.

Nikki was finding it hard to contain her laughter, though she was doing a pretty good job of it. It wasn't everyday that the lynx was at a loss for words and blushing so much that he almost was as red as Knuckles.

The lynx finally regained his composure. He noticed the open black suitcase that was on the ground next to Jodi. Inside, it looked like some kind of defibrillator or something along those lines. Even though the contraption would be alien to most people, Gyro knew what it was…and he realized what had also happened while he was out…Jodi had saved him. He gave her smile and then embraced her. "Thank you."

Jodi blushed even further.

* * *

After helping clean up the mess left from the attack, Nikki and Gyro were getting ready to head back to base.

Nikki looked at the teenagers that decided to stay behind and protect the orphanage. "You guys did a great job today, thanks for the help."

Skyler rubbed the back of her head and blushed. "Well, it should be us that should be thanking you, not the other way around."

"Oh come on, if that giant robot wasn't even here, you guys would've mopped the floor with those rust buckets." The hedgehog smiled. "You guys are doing great, keep it up. Okay?"

"You bet we will." Rift chuckled.

"And you ever need assistance, don't hesitate to call us, alright?" Gyro offered.

Cinder nodded. "Sure."

With that, Nikki and Gyro leapt up to the top of the wall.

The lynx then looked back at the ferret below. "Oh, and Jodi. I wanted to ask you something…your skills in electronics and reverse engineering are incredibly impressive. I think you would have no problem signing up for a doctrine in college. I sincerely recommend it." He then winked at her. "I'll call you back with the details, alright?"

Jodi blushed a little and then nodded. "Sure, okay."

The lynx smiled. "Farewell." He then leapt from the top of the wall to the other side.

Nikki waved back to Jodi. "Bye Sis! See ya soon!"

She then leapt off the wall and followed Gyro into the forest. She then gave him a look.

Gyro noticed and shot a confusing look back. "What?"

"Gyro, you sly little kit. I know what you were doing back there."

"What? I meant every word. Jodi's work in electronics is exceptional. The scientific community would benefit from her efforts."

"There was another reason."

"Oh, the phone call part…yeah…was it really that obvious?" Gyro started blushing.

Nikki started laughing. "There you go again. If you blush anymore, you'll look like Knuckles."

Gyro blushed even further at that remark.

His comrade busted into laughter. "Too late."

* * *

Author's Note: Awe so cute. XD

Yay! I'm up to Chapter 29. Crazy, never guessed this story would be this long. Anyway, more interesting adventures are still to come in the next chapter. :D

For update Information...check my profile :D


	12. Chapter 29: Team Work

Wahoo! Chapter 29!

Review Reviews time :)

Wow, a lot more reviews than the last time. :D

-(blank)(anonymous)

Awe thanks :) You know, the best way to learn to write good stories is by reading. I actually found that from when I started up to now, my writing skills have improved because I took the time to read some books on the side. Definitely helped in the writing department :) Also, having a thesaurus helps out too. When I find myself repeating certain words, I go back and look at the thesaurus on my computer and find out how else to say it. And most important of all...is putting your heart and soul into it. That often happens that I feel myself get sucked into my own story as I write, like watching a movie. Hope that helps out :)

Sorry that was so long. Also, I'm glad you noticed Lightning Lynx and Nicole. I didn't think many people knew who they were. :)

-Mastress Tessa:

I am so sorry about misspelling your name. It's fixed now though and I'll be more careful next time. Glad you're enjoying my story so far :D

-xXLexiXx

Thanks :D

Yeah, I think their cute together too. They're both so shy though. lol.

And that's all the anonymous reviews that I couldn't get a hold of. As always, thank you to everyone that reviewed. :D

No, without further delay...Enjoy Chapter 29: Team Work.

(Tee Hee, this is gonna be good. _*Grabs a bag of popcorn and pulls up a seat.*)_

* * *

_**Chapter 29: Team Work**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

Nikki and Crash are being chased by Exus robots in a hover car.

"Are they still chasing us?" The meerkat yelled back at the blue hedgehog in the back of the car.

She pried off one of the robot's severed arms off her shoulder and looked behind them. "No! They're…turning around?…" Confused by this Nikki turned back to look at Crash, then suddenly saw the reason. "…why would they be turning a-Oh Crap!"

They were on one of the old city bridges…only problem…the bridge ended in the middle of the ocean!

Crash tried to stop the hover car, but something was wrong with the brakes and steering and they were heading straight for the edge.

Crash shouted out in utter terror. "Oh Chaos! We're dead!"

"Not yet!" Nikki yelled back. She then jumped out of the car and pushed against the front of it. She ran against the car, trying to force it to stop. "Turn the car off!"

Crash turned the power off and grabbed the parking brake. The car fell to the ground, but was still moving toward the edge. Nikki ran faster, hoping to slow the car down. Nikki's foot stopped just at the edge of the bridge.

Both of them sighed with relief.

"Whew…that was close." Nikki breathed.

"Yeah…I think my luck's startin' to turn around."

Suddenly, the Nikki and Crash heard the sound of metal rumbling beneath them.

"Oh, come on." Nikki said exhausted.

The metal and asphalt gave way from under the car and they fell toward the ocean below. Nikki quickly ran into the car through the side door, grabbed Crash and then exited out the driver's side door. She then pushed off the roof of the car and dug her arm spike into the side of the pillar to the bridge and stopped their decent. The car crashed into the raging water below.

"Well, it can't get any-"

"Don't say it!" Nikki interrupted.

* * *

After getting back home, Crash and Nikki try to sneak back into the base.

Nikki whispered. "Okay, keep you voice down. I think everyone's asleep."

Suddenly, Crash waved nervously and looked over the railing. "He-he, Hi Tails."

The hedgehog eyes widened for a second, but then face palmed when saw Tails leaning against his computer desk. "Ugh, oh snap."

"So…which one of you is going to tell me what happened?" The twin tailed fox asked as one of his eye brows raised.

"It was Nikki's idea." Crash blurted out.

"What? Oh no, don't you dare try and pin this on me." Nikki defended.

"You were the one that said we should take the short cut."

"Oh, you mean the short cut that you showed on the map? By the way, that 'dot' was an Exus base, not a rest stop."

"You didn't know what it was either."

"Guys, guys, stop." Tails interrupted. "You're both safe, that's all that matters. Just next time, stick to the basic routes okay?"

"Yes Sir." Crash nodded.

"Yeah, okay. I'll be more careful next time." Nikki admitted as she rolled her eyes.

At that moment, Gyro came walking in. "Hi guys." He suddenly stopped and looked at Crash and Nikki, who looked like they had been through hell. "What happened to you two?"

"Don't ask. For Chaos sake, don't ask." Nikki said as she face palmed herself.

* * *

Later that day, Nikki managed to sneak away to meet with Dark. The midnight hedgehog waited for her while sitting on top of an over turned semi-truck. He glanced toward a blue comet that came soaring in from the distance.

The blue hedgehog stopped and looked up at Dark. "I'm here."

"What kept you?" The midnight hedgehog asked.

"Trust me, you really don't wanna know."

Dark gave a light smirk. "You got caught again, didn't you?"

"It wasn't me…exactly…you know what, lets just forget about it. Which way are we heading?" Nikki took out a digital map from her quills and opened it up.

The midnight hedgehog leapt off of the truck. "Must've been embarrassing if you don't wish to talk about it." Dark then shrugged it off as he noticed Nikki glancing back at him. "Not my problem."

"Okay, so we've already checked these areas. Wow, nine bases in two months? That's gotta be some kind of record. Anyway…" Nikki then zoomed in on one location. "This one looks like our best bet. It doesn't have the same setup as the other bases."

Dark took a look at the map. "This does look promising."

"Right, lets check there then."

* * *

The two hedgehog tracked the map's trail to the abandoned base. It was really strange, it wasn't like the other bases they had visited before.

Nikki looked at the insignia on the entrance with slight confusion. "Hmm, never seen that logo before." She then turned to Dark next to her. "How about you, recognize anything?"

The midnight hedgehog looked for a second, he then turned to her and shook his head lightly.

"Yeah, didn't think so." She then walked up to the iron doors. "Well, not gonna find anything out standing out here."

The blue hedgehog then extended one of the spikes on her arm and then drove into where the two iron doors met, she then began to spin. The inner lock broke and the doors were pushed open. "Ha, who needs a key?"

As they walked deeper into the base, it was getting more apparent that the base didn't belong to Eggman or G.U.N. Heck, it didn't even look like it was one of the Exus' bases. But those were the only super powers that Nikki knew about. If it wasn't one of those three, then who's base was this?

Nikki had remembered what Gyro had told her about guiding herself through bases, she knew what to look for to know where she was. But this base didn't follow any of those building codes at all. "What the heck? Okay, I know we passed that stupid pipe like five times." The blue hedgehog shook her head. "Whoever built this base, must've been an idiot." Nikki looked behind her and noticed that Dark had his hand placed on the wall, his eyes closed. "Um, Dark…you okay?"

"The main control room we're looking for is on the path on the right. There's an air duct that leads to another passage."

The blue hedgehog was slightly shocked that Dark had found this out. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

Nikki shakes her head. "I swear, sometimes you do stuff like that and deny it just to freak me out."

"Is it working?" The black hedgehog asked with a light smirk.

His comrade laughed a little. "Nice try, but no."

Suddenly, an iron wall came shooting out from the floor and blocked the path between the two hedgehogs.

"Whoa!" Nikki shouted out as she took a few steps back. She didn't expect that to happen at all. _Okay, no problem. I'll just cut through it. _"Dark, stand back!"

The female hedgehog then spun and tried to slice through the wall, but she felt like she was being pushed backward and stopped. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she realized that she was in fact being push back. The wall was sliding, pushing her further down the hall. She then looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened as she realized that behind her…was a dead end. "Shit!"

Desperate to get out, Nikki began to spin and forced herself into the wall. Sparks flew in every direction as the two opposing forces pushed against one another. She felt the wall begin to slow down and it finally stopped. Her back was pressed against the end of the hall and her foot was pushed against the wall. The claustrophobic hedgehog let out a cleansing sigh, realizing that the fear of being crushed had subsided. She dropped down and landed on the ground, but as her feet hit the floor, a trap door opened up underneath her and she fell through. "Whoa!"

She tried to slow her decent like she did back at the bridge, but she ended up just slipping out of the grip hold that she made with her spike. Nikki hit the ground floor hard, the wind knocked out of her.

The hedgehog coughed as she caught her breath. "This…just isn't my day…is it?"

Suddenly, her ears perked forward as she heard a sound coming from the far end of the room. It was pitch black, she couldn't even see her hand that was still in front of her from trying to catch her fall. Realizing that she wasn't alone, she quickly stood up and looked around.

She heard a few objects wiz right by her. Two bright sky blue eyes looked right at her, she then heard a female voice. "Die demon!"

The stranger charged in to attack Nikki, but the blue hedgehog met their blades with her spikes. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was starting to see the shape of her attacker. It looked like a cat, but there was something different about them. She thought that she could make out bat like wings in the darkness. The two fought toe to toe with one another, neither one backing down. Suddenly, Nikki felt something grab onto the bottom of her foot. She fell backward and tried to catch herself, but to her surprise, the floor was covered in something…it felt like glue, no it was stronger than glue. As soon as she touched it, she was stuck. Her opponent found herself in the same problem as well.

"Gah, what the hell?"

"Yuck, what is this?"

Nikki sniffed a little. "Smells like Mega Muck." She then tried to pry herself loose, but something was holding her down. That's when she realized the stranger had fallen on top of her.

"Wait…" The stranger sounded confused. "You're not a robot."

"Last I checked…no." The blue hedgehog was a little bit irritated by this.

The stranger then sighed. "Damn, I thought you were that Exus Dusk."

"Whoa wait, a what?" Nikki had never heard of this kind of robot before.

"You've never seen one, I take it?"

"Nope." The hedgehog then thought for a second. "So, you're saying that while we're stuck here, there's a murderous robot running around down here with us?"

"Most likely."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Of course there is."

"Well, you don't seem to be bothered by this at all." The stranger said with both sarcasm and confusion.

"Let's just say that with the day I've been having, I'm not surprised."

"Ugh, I can't stand this. This muck is sticking to my fur."

The hedgehog let out a cleansing sigh. She was trying her best to keep herself calm, though the fact that she was trapped with no way to move around really bugged her. "Don't worry, we'll get free…as soon as I figure out how."

* * *

The two girls struggled trying to free themselves, but it was apparent they were not getting anywhere. In fact, they were making it worse.

"Ouch! Get your elbow out of my face." The cat-like bat-like Mobian shouted.

By this time, Nikki was getting really frustrated. This whole time they were trying to get out, she had put up with this girl's complaining. Not to mention that she was stuck in an abandoned base for what felt to be hours. "Ugh, Okay. This isn't working."

"No shit." The stranger retorted. She then let out a sigh. "You know, this is all your fault."

"What? How is this my fault? _You_ attacked _me_, remember?"

"If you were not here in first place, you would've never got in my way." The stranger defended. "Do you have any idea how long it's going to take to get this crap out of my hair?"

"We're trapped in Mega Muck in a base with a killer robot stalking around and all you're worried about is your-!" Nikki began struggling again to get free. "That's it! Get me out of here, I've had it!" _Wait…what am I doing? _She collected herself again and brought her mind back into focus. "Blaming each other isn't going to get us anywhere. Now look, we're going to have to work together to get out of this. So lets just free ourselves first, then we can try and kill each other." Nikki reasoned.

The hedgehog could see the stranger's sky blue irises roll. "Fine."

"Okay, so we'll need something sharp to cut ourselves loose. My arms are stuck so I can't use my spikes. What about you?"

"No, I can't extend my claws. My hands are covered. Awe no, and I just had a manicure."

"Alright, that's it. One more girly complaint out of you and I swear I'll kick you!"

"Your legs are stuck."

"I'll head butt you then!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the midnight hedgehog was looking around, trying to track down Nikki's whereabouts. Suddenly, a loud noise that sounded like a yell echoed through the walls…and it sounded like it was heading straight for him. He stepped toward the wall and didn't even flinch when a yellow flash whizzed by him. It was only when the strange thing hit the wall when Dark was able to see what it was.

The young bumble bee slid down the wall and hit the floor with a thud. Noticing Dark's red eyes in the darkness, the young bee quickly got back up and darted toward him again. "I got you!"

But Dark simply stepped to the other side and the bee went flying right past him. The hedgehog then heard another voice coming from down the hall. "Lucky, what the heck are ya doin'?"

"I found it!" Lucky shouted back down the hall. "I found…that…thing… whatever it was!"

Dark's eyebrow raised a little. _What the hell is up with this guy?_

Just then, a light shined down the hall and revealed the two in full view. Behind the light were two Mobians. One was a crocodile that looked to be around fifteen and the other was a violet chameleon. The female chameleon face palmed herself and shook her head back and forth.

The crocodile spook first. "Luck, that's not an 'it'. It's a guy."

The young bee looked at Dark, then looked back at the other two. "Looks like 'it' to me."

"What's going on over here?" Someone else shouted from around the corner.

"Our crazy bee just tried to attack another innocent bystander. Other than that…nothing much." The chameleon answered.

The newcomer stepped into the light. Her red quills and fur shined a little in the light. "Lucky, come on really?"

"What?"

The echidna gave her friend a slightly irritated look. "Who _we're _looking for is a robot. Does this guy look metallic to you?"

The bee's eyes glanced at the midnight hedgehog, he then returned his gaze back to his friends. "Um…maybe."

"Ugh." The female echidna face palmed herself. She then looked at Dark. "I'm so sorry about this. My friend gets a little carried away sometimes. We're looking for a robot that…actually looks like you, but…obviously can't be you…it's complicated." The echidna then let out a huge sigh. "Anyway, have you seen anything?"

Dark simply shook his head.

"Well, that's just great." The crocodile said with frustration. "We've already searched this place top to bottom and there's no sign of that Dusk character anywhere."

"It's probably long gone by now." The chameleon said as she rolled her eyes.

"Awe man." Lucky whined.

The echidna then turned to Dark. "By the way, what are you doing down here anyway? No one's been here for years."

"I don't have time to explain, I'm looking for someone."

"Awe, so you can speak." The female chameleon commented.

"Who is it? I mean, we're looking for that robot, but if someone is lost down here we can help you." The red echidna offered.

"She's a blue hedgehog with-"

The echidna's eyes widened when she heard this and interrupted. "Whoa wait a minute-did you just say 'blue hedgehog'?"

"Yes." Dark answered.

She then muttered. "Nikki."

"You know her?" The midnight hedgehog asked.

"She's my best friend." Her look changed from slight worry to serious. "Alright, we need to find her."

She then turned to the bee. "Lucky? Scout ahead of us. If you find any sign of her call us back."

"And try not to tackle her, alright?" The crocodile almost laughed.

The bee then saluted the echidna. "Yes Sir!" He then took off down the hall and disappeared around the corner.

Dark shot a slightly confused look at her. "But you're a-"

"Yes, I know." She said as she rolled her eyes. The echidna then turned to the other two behind her. "Argul, Spectra, you two take the path we passed by earlier and see if you can find Nikki. Keep your eyes open, that robot is still in here somewhere."

"Y-got it." Argul said with enthusiasm. Spectra just nodded and the two took off back down the hall.

The echidna turned to Dark. "So, that leaves just you and me. I'm Lara-Su by the way. Captain of Squad Three of the New Albion Freedom Fighters. Now, I'm not gonna tell you what to do, but I will tell you this. The robot we're chasing after is dangerous. It's a killer. If it finds Nikki before we do, I can guarantee that there wont be anything left of her to save."

Su then continued. "You two were working together down here, that's obvious. Did you guys have any way of keeping in touch with one another?"

The midnight hedgehog shrugged a little.

"You don't talk very much do you? Hmm…anyway, I can try and sense where she is. She uses Chaos Energy just like I do, so I should be able to track her if were close enough to her. We better get moving."

* * *

Back to Nikki…

"Oww!"

"Ouch!"

"Ugh, what the hell is in your head, rocks?" The cat-bat shouted as she shook her head.

"Ahh, how do you think I feel? I thought the inside of your skull was hollow." Nikki retorted back. "Besides I warned you, didn't I?"

Suddenly, both girls heard footsteps.

"What was that?" Nikki thought out loud.

"Well, whatever it is knows we're here now thanks to you."

The hedgehog shot the catlike bat an annoyed look.

They hear the unknown intruder come closer.

"If I die first, I'm haunting your ass." The catlike bat said in an equally annoyed tone.

A beam of light shined right at the two girls.

Then Nikki realized something. "Hey, wait a minute…Exus robots don't need light to see." She then called. "Hey Dark, is that you?"

"Um no, but I certainly hope you remember me." The stranger behind the light voiced.

The blue hedgehog recognized her voice instantly. "Su!"

"Lara, you know this annoying little-"

"Hey, if anyone is annoying here, it's you." Nikki interrupted.

Su laughed when she saw her friends' situation. "Nikki, Jade, what on Mobius…How did you two get in this mess? Literally."

Nikki could now see the one called Jade more clearly with the light shining on her. She actually didn't look like a cat, she looked like an ocelot. Her fur was light brown with a few shades of white by her eyes and the on one of her bangs. Her black bat-like wings raised as she tried to keep them from sticking into the Mega muck. Her bright blue eyes matched Nikki's expression of slight anger and she pointed with her tail as she said. "She did it."

"What? We've been through this, _you_ attacked _me!"_

"Homely hedgehog."

"Stuck up cat."

Su finally intervened. "Guys, guys, stop. Look, this sounds like a big misunderstanding to me. Nikki, Jade probably thought you were the robot we've been tracking. Lucky tried to take another guy's head off earlier." The echidna rolled her eyes as she remembered the bee's mishap.

Jade also rolled her eyes. "What else is new? He would attack a cactus if it looked suspicious to him."

"Okay really?" Nikki shot the oce-bat a strange look. "No one would-"

Su sighed and face palmed herself.

"No, he didn't."

"Yes…yes he did."

"Ugh Lucky…" Nikki shook her head. "Wait, the guy that Lucky tried to tackle…was he a black hedgehog?"

"Yes. In fact…" Su looked around her. "He was right behind me in the hall."

"Yeah, he has a knack for disappearing randomly." Nikki said with a smile.

At that moment, the wall next to them caved in and an explosion followed. All three girls yelled as the debris engulfed the whole room. Coughs resounded in the room as everyone tried to catch their breath.

As Nikki pulled her hand up to her mouth to cover it, she laughed in triumph when she realized. "I'm free!"

"Yeah, lucky you." Nikki could see Jade's silhouette through the dust. "My foot's stuck."

Both girls' ears flicked forward as they heard the sound of a laser charging up. Without even hesitating, Nikki dashed toward Jade and then in one fluid motion grabbed her and took one of her spikes and cut her foot free. She then let the momentum push both of them out of the laser's path. The laser grazed Nikki's leg and the two tumbled further out of reach.

"Ugh!" The hedgehog nearly growled through clenched teeth.

"I…don't get it…we're not on the same team…why did you help me?"

Nikki laughed. "Why does everyone ask that question?" The hedgehog then looked right her. "Do I need a reason?"

Their attention was drawn back to the direction were the laser came from. Two silhouettes were fighting in the thick cloud of dust. Nikki recognized one of them as Lara-Su, but the other one that was fighting her looked like…_Dark?_

Su yelled as she was thrown back toward the far wall.

"Su!" Both girls shouted.

Red eyes glowed through the dust as it began to settle around them. The hedgehog's eyes creased forward as she realized the figure wasn't who she thought it was. The hedgehog-like metal frame stepped closer.

Jade's eyes narrowed angrily as she recognized the true identity of the metal imposter. "Dusk."

"_**Now, what would a bunch of rats be doing in one of Commander Snivly's old bases?"**_

_Commander Snivly?…_ Nikki thought to herself. _Snivly…where have I heard that name before?_

"Save it!" Jade scowled.

The oce-bat's yell brought Nikki back to the issue at hand. To Jade's surprise the hedgehog forced herself to her feet and she watched as her blue rival stood between her and the metal double.

At that moment, Lara-Su ran over to Jade. "You guys okay?"

" 'Rats' huh?" The hedgehog smirked. "I think you need to get your eyes checked."

Jade's eyes widened at Nikki's comment. "Um, what are you doing?"

"Oh, this is nothing new. She does this all the time." Su answered like it was no big deal.

The oce-bat shot the echidna a look. "So _that's _where you get it from."

Su's eyes narrowed slightly at her comrade.

Nikki continued. "Actually, maybe _you_ should look in a mirror."

"_**Awe, so you're the smart mouthed brat I've heard so much about…I certainly hope you're more of a challenge than that other hedgehog."**_

Her eyes suddenly changed from playful to anger. "What other hedgehog?"

"_**He was a curious one. Almost didn't see him with his black fur."**_

That was it for Nikki, just the thought that this thing could've done something to Dark… Her eyes narrowed as she readied herself for an attack. "If you've done anything to him, I swear I'll-"

"Nikki don't!"

The hedgehog glanced back at her friend Su who continued. "That's how he gets you, he's trying to bait you."

Just then, two shuriken came whizzing through the air toward the robot from behind. The robot's eyes rotated to the back of his head in a flash and caught the bladed rings with one hand.

"_**Clever…"**_ The robot snickered. _**"But not clever enough." **_Dusk then threw the two shuriken behind him toward what appeared to be just the back wall…until the two blades stopped in mid-air.

The invisible chameleon suddenly appeared and flinched backward, the two shuriken embedded in her left shoulder.

"Spectra!" Both Su and Jade shouted.

"Y-metal bastard!" Argul came rushing in out of the shadows, his fist pulled back ready to attack.

But the robot simply grabbed his fist and pulled him over his shoulder and slammed the crocodile into the ground with no effort.

At that moment, Nikki came charging in and spun. The living chainsaw flew right past Dusk, slicing his cheek as he dodged. Su then extended her spikes on her knuckles and ran toward the robot. She leapt into the air in an attempt to drive her fist into the robot's skull, but the robot dodged. Dusk then extended his tail and smacked it right into the echidna, causing her to fly and hit the adjacent wall. Dusk was about to follow through with another attack at Su, but Nikki intercepted and began matching the robot blow for blow. However, it soon became apparent that the hedgehog wouldn't be able to keep up for long. Her leg where the laser had hit earlier was giving her trouble and she began to stagger a little as she tried to cope with the injury.

While all this was going on, Jade began to remember something that her teacher had told her and her team in one of their first training sessions…

* * *

Each one of them had been given a bladed shuriken with markings along the side.

"The inscription on all of those shuriken stand for a saying in the Chameleon language."

"Um, Mr. Espio?"

"It's Espio Sensei, Lucky."

"What does this mean? I can't read it."

Jade face palmed herself. "Ugh, Lucky. He was getting to that."

"It reads 'Only the Strong Survive'. But let me explain exactly what that means." Their teacher gave a serious look as he continued. "No one is truly strong on their own. Even if someone could manage to overcome almost every obstacle they face…there will always be someone stronger than them. However…there is more than one way to be strong. A true warrior isn't just strong physically, a true warrior also has a strong mind as well." He looked at each of his students. "Each one of you has a strong trait that is different from one another. And when you work together-"

"Oh I get it. There's strength in numbers right?" Argul interrupted.

But Espio allowed it. "Exactly. When faced with an opponent that is stronger than one of you can take on your own, the best thing you can do is work together as a team. So now you understand the true message of that inscription… 'Only the Strong Survive…but United We Prevail."

* * *

Jade looked at the inscribed shuriken in her hand as her thoughts were brought back to reality.

_Now I understand…It doesn't matter if Sonica and I are different…what matters…is getting all of us out of this alive._

The oce-bat suddenly rushed forward and extended her claws. With one flap of her wings, she added more speed into her charge and then grabbed Dusk's head with her claws. She then swung her foot around and then kicked his chin, forcing his head backward.

Nikki's eyes widened at Jade's sudden attack and was shocked to see that her attack didn't stop there.

After kicking the robot in the jaw, she then swung herself over the robot's head and then extended the claws on her feet. She then drove her feet into the robot's neck behind it's head.

Dusk suddenly realized what Jade was trying to do, she was literally trying to rip his head off. _**"No you don't."**_

The hedgehog saw this as an opportunity and joined in. Just as the robot was about to grab Jade, Nikki grabbed his arm and pulled it behind his head, allowing the momentum take all of them down. The oce-bat flipped up so that she was above the robot as it hit the ground.

Before both girls could pin him down, Dusk grabbed Nikki with his other arm. He then extended it and then threw her across the room. Now with his other arm free, he grabbed Jade by the neck and then threw her in the other direction.

At that instant, a bright flash came into the room and then rammed into the robot.

Nikki's eyes widened when she realized who it was. "Dark!"

After his attack, the midnight hedgehog landed gracefully on the ground, standing defiantly between the robot and his blue furred comrade. "Stay there…" His blood red irises then turned back to his metal doppelganger. "…this is personal."

"You survived…I have to say, you hedgehog's never cease to surprise me." Realizing he was more than outmatched, the robot turned away from the black hedgehog. "Until we meet again." He then took off in a flash.

Dark's eyes creased forward and he muttered. "Pfft, bloody coward."

"Ai'ght, who's not dead? Sound off!" Argul shouted in the room.

Suddenly, the group heard a yell from the other side of the hole in the wall.

"I got im'! I got im'!"

"No, Lucky! Wait!"

But it was too late, Lucky came zooming in and then crashed right into Argul. Both went careening backward and hit the far wall.

Nikki and Dark looked at each other slightly confused. Jade and Su face palmed themselves at the same time.

"Ugh…Lucky, get your foot out of my face!" The crocodile said with disgust.

"Um Argul…"

The crocodile looked under him where the whisper came from.

"Could you…get off of me?"

"Spectra!" Argul quickly got up and started helping her to her feet. "Sorry 'bout that, you okay?"

"Just fine." The chameleon gave him a light smile, but she cringed when she felt the pain in her shoulder. "Ugh!"

"Hold on, I got you." Su ran over to her friend. She took a gem from her belt and began using it to heal her.

"Thank you, Su."

"Hey, we're a team right?" The echidna said with a wink.

The chameleon nodded. "Right."

Nikki couldn't help but smile, Su really had grown over the past couple years. Then something caught her eye, she looked at the midnight hedgehog next to her. "Dark, your arm."

The midnight hedgehog looked at the arm in question. There was a deep gash in it. It actually wasn't that bad, but it did still needed to be treated at least. He just simply shrugged.

"You didn't even notice that at all?"

He gave her a slightly confused look.

Nikki shook her head. "Oh boy, you're worse than me." She then rolled her eyes. "Didn't think that was possible." the blue hedgehog then turned to her friend across the room. "Hey Su, you wouldn't happen to have a Chaos Drive on you, would ya?"

"Of course I do." The echidna then reached into her quills and pulled out a violet Chaos Drive, the light from the crystal inside brightened the surrounding area. "You know, I actually forgot I had it."

"Would've been nice if you remembered it sooner."

"Yeah, no kidding. Here catch!" Su then threw the drive to Nikki, who caught it with no effort.

"Thanks." The blue hedgehog then turned Dark. "Okay, now hold still."

The midnight hedgehog debated Nikki request for a second, but then shrugged as she lightly took his arm.

Nikki began to focus on the energy inside the Chaos Drive. She could feel the energy rising, coursing through her. She allowed the energy to pass through her and guided it toward Dark's hand…but to her surprise…the energy didn't want to go any further. "Huh?"

Another surprise soon arose as the energy that she had intended to heal Dark with made a b-line for her injured leg and then healed it. The now confused blue hedgehog looked at her leg. Her eyes then drifted toward the midnight hedgehog next to her. "O-kay…that's new."

She then scratched the back of her head in utter confusion. "I don't get it, what the heck is going on? That was supposed to heal you, not me. Heck, last I checked, I can't heal myself."

Nikki then let out a sigh. "Alright…" She then took the bandana she had in her quills and then quickly wrapped it around Dark's arm. "Well…that's gonna have to work for now…at least until I can figure out what's going on with this thing." Nikki added as she gave the Chaos Drive a strange look.

* * *

Outside of the base, the group tried to figure out their next move.

"So, whatta we do now?" Argul asked.

Su thought for a minute. "We should tell the others about this. If dusk ends up catching one of them off guard-"

"Ding!"

Su looked at the bee that interrupted her. "Lucky!"

"It's a good idea. You guys head back home, I'll talk to Gyro. If anyone knows anything about what's going on here, it's him. Besides…I wanna ask him about this Snivly guy. I swear that name is familiar..." Nikki thought for a minute. "…Nope, I got nothing."

"Pfft, figures." Jade scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

Nikki then turned toward the midnight hedgehog that was behind her. "Dark, I think you should com- aaand where'd he go?"

"Guess he took off again." Su said with a slight laugh.

The blue hedgehog looked confusingly at her friend. "I don't get it, why does he keep doing that?"

The answer she got didn't come from the one who she was asking, and it wasn't an answer she was looking for either. "Maybe he can't stand being anywhere near _you_."

The others looked at Jade. "What? You weren't stuck with her for an hour and a half, remember?"

* * *

Back at base, Nikki explained what happened at the strange bunker.

"Okay, wait a minute. Who the hell is Sniffy?

"He said 'Snivly' Zeph, and I have no idea. It just keeps bugging me that it sounds so familiar."

"Well, I haven't heard of him."

"Neither have I." Gyro added.

"That's what I was afraid of." Nikki let out a huge sigh.

"What about that logo you saw on the front of the base, can you draw it?" The lynx asked.

"Hmm, lets see…" Nikki quickly found a piece of paper and pencil and started drawing. She was done in no time flat and showed the sketch to the boys. "Here."

Both boys leaned in and took a look. Zephyr then gave a confusing look. "What is that supposed to be, a turkey?"

"What, no. It's the logo."

"I don't know, I wouldn't say it's a turkey. Looks more like a bunny rabbit."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Okay, so I can't draw-but that's the best I could do."

The hawk laughed. "If this is the best you can do, I would hate to see you just doodling. It's good thing you're better at fighting that using a pencil."

"Yeah, that's right laugh it up. Feather duster." Nikki said with a smirk.

Tails walked in and just barely heard the conversation. "What's so funny?"

Gyro handed Tails the paper. "Look at this."

"Huh, did Trinity draw this?"

"Gah, thanks Tails. You just said I draw worse than a two year old."

Tails' eyes widened. "…oh…so…what's it supposed to be then?"

"Nikki says that it was on the front of a base she raided today, some stupid guy named 'Snuffully'."

"Snivly' Zephyr…Commander Snivly."

The hawk rolled his eyes. "Whatever, it's still stupid."

Tails' expression, on the other hand, was less relaxed. "Whoa, wait a minute- did you just say 'Snivly'?"

"Yeah, the Dusk robot that Su's group and I fought said something about it being 'Commander Snivly's' old base." Nikki explained.

"And you're positive…he said '_Commander_ Snivly'?"

Nikki then gave her guardian a look as she flicked her ears. "I'm pretty sure with these I heard him loud and clear."

The teens suddenly realized how serious this actually was as Tails' expression became more worrisome. "This is bad…this really…_really_ bad." Seeing their looks, the twin tailed fox elaborated. "After Eggman's downfall, Snivly tried to take over Mobius. Luckily…Knuckles, myself, and all the other Freedom Fighters banded together to stop him. If he really is working with the Exus…then that means he's working with Surge X as well."

"Seriously, how dangerous is this guy? I mean, he's obviously not that big if we've never heard of him, right?"

Tails sighed. "The way I see it, there are two kinds of dangerous personalities out there. One is like Eggman, who had an ego even bigger than he was. But he was almost always predictable, always boasting his plans every chance he got. And then there's the guy that works as the silent sidekick in the background, putting up with being pushed around until he finally snaps and blows the place sky high…That's Snivly."

"So, you're saying that the guy is unpredictable?" Gyro asked.

"That, and he's also patient. Unlike Eggman, he's in no rush to set his plans into motion…which means that when he finally does strike…he'll know every angle. It's like playing chess with a guy who already knows every move you're going to make…and knows how the game is gonna end."

"Okay, that is creepy." Feeling the strange looks from his comrades, Gyro shot back a confused look of his own. "What? Don't tell me you two don't find that disturbing?"

"I can tell you this much…" The kids looked back at their leader as he continued. "…If Snivly is working with Surge…then this is more than a series of battles that we're fighting…it's an all-out war."

* * *

Author's Note: Oh boy...like I said, from here on out, everything's about to hit the fan.

The o.c. trio (Nikki, Trace and Jodi) reunite again in the same place again...this'll be interesting. Next chapter of Sonic's Legacy.

For Update information...check profile :)


	13. Chapter 30: Secrets and Lies

Here it is, Chapter 30.

Thank you to all of you that reviewed.

Reviews:

xXLexiXx : Thanks, I'm so glad you're enjoying this story.

Without further delay, here's the next Chapter. Enjoy! :D

* * *

_**Chapter 30: Secrets and Lies**_

* * *

_**Narrator: Sonica.**_

A month had past and we still didn't find any leads to where this 'Snivly' guy could be. I still couldn't get what Tails said out of my head.

"…_If Snivly is working with Surge…then this is more than a series of battles that we're fighting…it's an all-out war."_

_What does that mean?…This whole time we thought it was just Surge to worry about, now we have this guy who's a psychopath that makes Eggman look like a harmless party balloon._

After telling Jodi about this, we have been putting our heads together to help figure this out…well…her mostly. She agrees with Tails, but no one has even seen this guy two years before Surge's return. I kept telling myself not to worry about it, Tails, Jodi and Gyro can certainly handle it. But from what they've been saying, it's like Snivly just disappeared off the face of Mobius. Research isn't normally my thing, but I feel that I have to help everyone in some way with this. Actually, it feels like I'm getting the hang of it. Seth is definitely helping me out.

And to make matters worse, Su and her team have completely lost Dusk's trail. Who knows what that scrap heap has been planning this past month.

Dark had even agreed to help out…to my surprise. I think he wanted to get back at Dusk for backing out back at Snivly's abandoned base, he still hasn't told me what happened when he fought that bot by himself…and he's probably never going to. But he still doesn't want to work with the rest of the Freedom Fighters, just me. I still think that's a little bit weird, but maybe it's a trust thing. I just feel sorry that we had to put finding out more about his past to find a guy that has been completely off the grid for ten years.

Today, I was starting to run to my usual meeting spot and meet with Dark to start our search when suddenly, my communicator rang. "Seth, if you're calling about-"

"Nikki?"

By the voice on the other line, I could tell it definitely wasn't Seth…and they sounded upset. "Jodi? What happened?"

"I can't tell you everything…listen…um…Are you on good terms with Former Station Square?"

"Please tell me you're not where I think you are?" After hearing no answer on the other line, I knew right away. "Oh no, Jodi. The one time you leave the orphanage, you go through there?"

"It wasn't a choice." I heard her take a deep breath the she continued. "Please can you get here and bail me out?"

"Wait, first you're in Former Station Square, now you're in jail?" I couldn't believe it, my mild mannered friend…in jail? "Jodi, how did this happen?"

"I told you, I can't tell you. They're listening in and I don't have a lawyer."

"Okay, just hang tight. I'll be there in a sec." I reassured her. I then hung up and took off toward Former Station Square.

_How on Mobius did she get herself into this mess? That's my job. All joking aside, I have to get her out of there._

I wasted no time and arrived in Former Station Square in no time flat. That was just the beginning though, I still had to find out which police station she was being held in…I really should've asked her that before hanging up…_awe well, I'm sure I can find it. _…or that's what I thought.

I had barely slowed down near the center of town. This was my first time actually being in Former Station Square. I had never thought it was _this _bad. Some of the buildings were huge piles of rubble, while the other half looked like they were barely hanging on. The asphalt beneath my feet was horribly cracked in some places. It was actually a good thing I stopped running at sonic speed or I could've hurt myself or worse. I made a mental note to be careful the next time I came through this city again.

I was so distracted by the condition of everything that I never saw the guy behind me swing something behind my head. I just barely heard it, then everything went black.

* * *

_**Narrator: Trace.**_

_You have got to be kidding me? Not only do I have Scythe breathing down my neck, but I have Nikki trespassing and caught by border patrol._

This whole time, my team and I had been keeping a low profile, trying to stay under Scythe's radar. Which isn't too hard because the guy has a brain the size of a grape. But with _her _showing up…_I just know I'm going to regret this._

I knew exactly where they took her, the border patrol were trying to interrogate her to find out what she was doing in Former Station Square. Ever since Scythe took over, he hasn't been very lenient toward any outsiders coming in. It's almost like Martial Law around here.

I just barely made it to the hall before the interrogation room when I heard Nikki and one of the officers arguing…typical.

"I know you were here for something. Tell us, were you trying to steal from us?"

"Come on really? You already asked me that question. Wording it differently doesn't count. And I already told you, I didn't come here to steal anything."

"Then why are you here?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe because 'Stiffy' over there knocked me out and dragged me here. I'm pretty sure that's assault by the way."

"You were trespassing."

"I didn't see a sign and last I checked, Former S.S. was a trading post."

"You didn't answer my question…Why…are…you…here?"

"Maybe if you spent your time using those big ears of yours instead of your big mouth you'd already know I told you why, idiot."

_Okay, this has gone on long enough._

Before the interrogator could explode, I walked into the room. "Having trouble are we?"

I could tell by Nikki's look that she recognized me. She didn't say anything though. I'm glad for that, we could've both been in serious trouble if they found out we knew each other.

"No need, we've got this under control."

"Really, 'cause it looks like she's ruffling your fur to me."

I watched as the interrogator's mouth opened and closed as he couldn't find a response.

"Let me take her, I'm sure I can get her to talk." I added as I gave him a serious look.

"S-sure." The officer staggered.

Before anyone could say anything else, I walked in and took Nikki forcefully be the arm. "Come on, let's go."

"Hey!"

I pulled her out of her chair and walked her down the hall. I then whispered for her to hear. "You're lucky I just happened to be in the area to respond to that call. What are you thinking?"

She sighed annoyingly. "Like I said, I didn't do anything."

"Then why are you- We can't talk here, wait till we get outside."

* * *

_**Narrator: Sonica**_

Trace led me toward the border of the city, which is exactly where I didn't want to go at all. I wasn't leaving without my sister. He then let me go when we were out of sight of the watchtower.

I crossed my arms as I asked. "Okay Trace, what's going on? Why is everyone here on 'high alert crazy' status?"

"What do you expect? This morning, someone runs into town unannounced and then _you _show up." He defended. "Now you need to go. Get out of here."

"I'm not leaving, Trace."

He looked at me confused, but mostly angry. "I mean it, you can't stay here."

"Why not?" I know, it would've been easier to just tell him that Jodi got into trouble here and I was trying to get her out, but I just couldn't help but feel like he was hiding something from me. "Tell me."

He looked very fidgety, though he tried to hide it. He kept looking over his shoulder, like he felt that someone was watching his every move. "I can't." He then looked at me, his gold eyes were serious, but there was a shred of sadness behind them. "You have to go, right now. I mean it Nikki, for once…just trust me."

"Trace…" I could sense it, there was something wrong here…very wrong. Trace started to walk away, but I couldn't let him leave…not before… "Wait."

He stopped, but didn't look back at me. I didn't want to tell him, but there was too much at risk to try and save Jodi myself. "She's here…Jodi I mean."

This time, Trace glanced back at me. It looked like he was trying to make sense out of what I just said. I continued. "The border patrol took her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, she called me. They must've allowed her to have one phone call or something."

Trace then face palmed himself. "Ugh, so _she's_ the one."

"Huh?"

"When I got that call, I thought it was you. You didn't come in here with an Exus Beast, did you?"

"What, no. I came in by myself." I was shocked by this. My sister was chased in here by a rust bucket and they locked _her_ up? "Trace, I need to get Jodi out of there. She's innocent, she did nothing wrong I'm sure of it."

He let out a huge sigh, his gaze then met mine. "Don't worry, I'll get her out."

"No I don't think so, I'm coming too."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am. She needs me, I'm not just gonna wait out here."

"If you care about her, you will do as I say got it?"

I had never seen Trace like this before. It was more than just anger, he was afraid, worried, what on Mobius happened to make him act this way? Even though I didn't want to, in seeing Trace like this…I accepted. "Okay, but if you're not back here by sunset, I'm coming in."

"It won't be that long. I have a friend that can handle this sort of thing. Just stay on your side of the border. The guards can't do anything to you as long as you don't pass it. I'll bring her back, I promise." With that, Trace ran off toward the center of the city.

"Trace!" As I took a step forward, I suddenly remembered what Trace said and I looked down at the border line just inches away from my foot. Then I did the one thing I would've never expected myself to do…I took one step backward. I wanted to run after him, it took almost everything I had not to just take off and catch up to him. But by the way Trace had made it sound, I really had no choice…It wasn't my life at stake here…it was Jodi's, my sister's…so for her sake, I had to trust that Trace would get her out.

I still couldn't get the look in Trace's eyes out of my head. I had never seen him look so desperate. What on Mobius happened here to change him so much?

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"So, here you are…"

Following the voice, my eyes drifted behind me. Dark was standing on top of a lamp post- well, one of the few left standing around this place anyway.

"I know, I was supposed to meet you at the checkpoint, but I-"

"I know, I heard." He interrupted as he jumped down to meet me.

"You're not mad, are you?"

"I was a bit annoyed, thought you simply forgot…" He then crossed his arms. "…but as I can see you had a good reason for not showing up. I don't blame you." As his eyes met mine, I couldn't help but feel like he felt sympathy for me…though he didn't show it…eh, maybe it was just me.

I then realized what he just said. "Hey, I'm not forgetful."

The midnight hedgehog simply shrugged then gave me a smirk. "You're right…you're just foolish."

"What? What do mean, 'foolish'?"

"Did you not remember the last time you crossed that border?"

Sheepishly, I laughed a little. "So, you were here for _that_ long huh?"

"Pretty much."

I allowed a sigh to escape me and shook my head. I then glanced over my shoulder, I wasn't used to this 'waiting' thing.

"You really trust that guy?"

"Do I really have a choice?"

"You _always_ have a choice."

"I know he can do it. I mean, Trace might hate me, but he wouldn't let something happen to someone else. At least that's the Trace I know…I'm not sure who he is right now."

"Huh…that's strange."

"What?"

"Well, hating someone means you want them to disappear. If this 'Trace' guy hates you, then he wouldn't care what happened to you."

I couldn't help but give Dark a confusing look. I had never thought of that. "Okay, I don't get it."

Dark let out a sigh and shook his head. "Do I really have to explain this to you?"

"No. I mean, you're always open with me, but as soon as the others are around you either keep your mouth shut or disappear…why?"

He thought about it for a second. I couldn't help but laugh inside myself. _I _stumped _him_, for once. He then responded. "I…never actually thought about that…"

"Is it because I'm the one that found you?"

"Maybe…but there's something else too…I can't quite think of it right now though."

I laughed a little. "Eh, I'm sure it'll come to you."

Even though it was nice having Dark there, I still kept looking over my shoulder.

_I'm counting on you Trace…_

* * *

_**Narrator: Trace**_

"No."

I thought Rook would say that. Why would he do this for me anyway? We hardly knew each other. Both him and Flash used to be Vault's apprentices, but now that he's gone, they both were pretty much thrown into our group…and I could tell, he was just as happy with this arrangement as I was.

Still, I tried to convince him. "Come on, this is wrong and we both know it."

"I already looked over the file after you called me, this 'Jodi' has really gotten herself into a mess. Not only are they pressing trespassing charges, but the border patrol are also accusing her of conspiring with the Exus army."

"You know as well as I do that's ridiculous. I don't even know her that well and _I_ know she'd never do something like that."

"Believe me, I agree with you there. I just know that there's going to be a stupid trial with some stupid judge that wants to be home by dinner."

"You've done this before, haven't you?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"When you're the son of a prosecutor, you're used to hearing about this stuff every day."

"Does he still work there? Maybe, we can just go to him about this."

I could tell just by the look he gave me that wasn't going to work. I sighed and face palmed myself as I asked him. "What happened?"

"What do you think happened? Cunner fired him."

"Cunner?"

"Supposedly Scythe's 'right hand man'. He's more an annoying and a pompous idiot if you ask me."

_Wow, and people say __**I'm**__ condescending._

Bringing myself back to the situation at hand, I tried again. "All the more reason why we should get this girl out of there before the possibility of a trial."

The black and white cat gave me a confused look. He then shot down the idea without a second thought. "What are you saying, we break her out of there? That's impossible and you know it. It's too well guarded. Besides, you're still on recovery leave aren't you? What if something goes wrong? If we are to attempt something of that magnitude, not only would you have to be at full strength, but we would need the expertise of all of our team members…and Caper's still in the hospital."

This is exactly why I came to Rook with this, he's always able to plan every angle before executing a mission. "I'm more than able to handle it." I reassured, but I don't think he bought it in the least.

Just when I thought there was no way of convincing him to help, he added. "However…there may be a way we can get her out of their before the trial, without risking injury. You said she still needs a lawyer, right? She still hasn't given a statement yet. If that is the case, then I can act as her lawyer and convince the border patrol that they have no reason to press charges on her."

"You think you can do that?"

"I'll have to speak with her first…in private. I have to know her side of the story as far as how she ended up across our border. Once I know that, then we can determine whether or not it'll work."

I nodded in reply. "Alright, lets do it."

With that, we headed straight for the border patrol headquarters. I already knew that this wasn't going to be easy, even with Rook's help. That became even more apparent once we go to the security building. Just getting through clearance was hard enough. When we finally got passed the security protocol, they took us into the back room where Jodi was being held for questioning. I had never seen her since that day that Nikki and I had left the orphanage, but remembering her back then, this must've been a difficult experience for her.

"Alright, lets go in."

Rook's comment brought me back into focus. "What? Wait a minute, you said you wanted to speak with her alone."

"When I said 'in private' I meant without security peeking in. She knows you, she'll be more willing to trust me if you're there."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that statement. Why on Mobius would Jodi want to trust me? "Pfft, yeah right."

"Just get in the room, Trace. You brought me in this mess, I'm certainly not doing all the work here."

After that, I decided to go ahead in. This really wasn't the best place to get into an argument with my new teammate. I slowly opened the door and looked in.

Jodi was facing away from the door, but as she heard me come in, turned to look at me. She suddenly jumped out of her chair. "Trace?" Her blue eyes began to glare at me in an untrusting manner. "What are you doing here?"

In response to this I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorway. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Well, nice try. But I know my rights, you can't keep me locked up in here."

"Okay one, it's not me keeping you here, it's the border patrol. Two, I have no intention of keeping you here."

Rook walked in at that moment, his hand was on the door handle. "Best we close this so that the world doesn't hear our conversation."

I moved out of the doorway to allow Rook to close and lock the door behind us.

"Jodi Ferret, this is Rook Cat. He's here to defend your case."

"So…you're trying to help me?" I could tell by the look in her eyes she still didn't trust me, and after the day she's had, I really don't blame her. "Why?"

"We have our reasons." Rook answered. "Just as you do for crossing into Former Station Square Border."

Noticing that Jodi still wasn't cooperating, I said. "Nikki sent us. She told me you were in trouble. We're trying to get you out of here without causing an uproar."

As Rook sat down in the chair across from her, I stayed by the door, making sure that no one was listening in. He then continued. "You don't look like the kind of Mobian that wants to cause trouble. In fact, you look quite the opposite. My guess is you ended up here by accident, am I correct?"

Jodi sighed. "Completely. I really can't tell you everything, but to make a long story short…I was trying to keep an Exus Beast from breaking into my residence and I ended up getting my jacket caught on the machinery. The robot took off and when I finally got loose, that's when border patrol took me into custody."

"Well, I can certainly tell you're not lying…" This was true too, being the son of a prosecutor, Rook was taught how to read tells and could easily find if someone was telling the truth or not.

Rook stood up and looked at me. "Alright, I'll go talk to the head of security and see what I can do."

He then turned to Jodi. "Jodi, it was nice meeting you. I'll be right back as soon as I'm finished." With that he walked right past me and out the door…leaving me alone with Jodi…great.

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person.**_

Just outside of the border, the two hedgehogs waited. Nikki was becoming impatient, lightly tapping her foot as she glanced toward the main road on the other side of the border.

"You even think about trying it, I'll hold you back." The black hedgehog said bluntly as he watched his comrade's indecisive tells.

"I'm not."

Dark scoffed, he then stated with sarcasm. "Yeah, you're hiding it _really _well."

Nikki rolled her eyes at Dark's comment, but then quickly smiled at him. As the sound of Extreme Gear flying reached them, their ears perked behind them, their gaze followed suit.

The blue hedgehog recognized the two Mobians as they dismounted their boards. "Skyler, Cinder."

"Is there anyone you don't know?" Dark said with a light smirk.

"Nikki, good you're here. Jodi, she-"

"I know." Nikki interrupted Skyler.

"Well, I guess that explains why you're here." The calico cat deduced.

"We were following the tracks the Exus Robot left when it took her." The raven looked at the surrounding area. "And they led us here."

Dark brought the two up to speed. "The Exus robot took your friend into hostile territory. Some friends of Nikki are trying to get her out right now."

"Oh."

"Is she okay?"

"She sounded fine when she called me." Nikki then thought to herself. _She better be okay, or I'm gonna-"_

"No you're not."

The blue hedgehog jumped when she realized what Dark had just done. "What the heck? You can read thoughts now?"

"I've _been_ able to do that…since I woke up anyway."

…_oh crap._

Both Skyler and Cinder simply gave each other slightly awkward looks. This was a little too weird for them to even try and butt in.

Suddenly, Nikki's ears perked up as she heard the sound of footsteps coming from the road behind her. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw Trace swiftly running from the corner, behind him came a black and white cat. Following right behind the two, was Jodi. Both bonded sisters were relieved to see the other.

"Nikki!"

"Jodi!"

The both of them embraced one another. Nikki then looked at her sister and smiled. "So, who's the adventurous one now, huh?"

Jodi laughed at her statement. "Yeah right. Sorry I caused so much trouble."

"Awe, don't worry about."

"Well, I best get back to my post. They'll have a fit if they notice I'm gone for too long. Nice meeting all of you." Rook then started running back across the border.

"Wait!"

The cat stopped and looked back when he heard the two girls at the same time. Jodi then looked at Nikki, and the hedgehog spoke for them both. "Thank you."

Rook nodded to them. He then continued and ran around the corner out of sight.

The blue hedgehog then looked to Trace, she then turned to her sister who understood completely. "We'll give you two some time alone. You can catch up with us after." The ferret then turned to her two friends and ran toward them. "Guys, lets start heading back."

Already knowing what Nikki was thinking, Dark gave her a nod. "I'll keep an eye on them." The black hedgehog then leapt up into the air and then took off at blinding speed, keeping pace with the Extreme Gear riders.

As soon as they were out of sight, Nikki turned back to Trace. "Thanks for…you know…getting Jodi out of there."

"You're welcome." Trace turned and began to walk away. "You should go."

"Trace, wait a minute." The wolf stopped and allowed an annoyed sigh to escape him. He then waited for Nikki to continue. "…There's something wrong here, I can tell."

Trace's voice sounded hollow, like there was no life behind it at all. "Doesn't matter, best you stay out of it." He then continued toward his side of the border.

But Nikki couldn't just let Trace walk away. She reached for his arm and gently grabbed it. "Hold on." She then gasped when she heard Trace growl under clenched teeth. The arm she grabbed was the one that was broken in the fight against Scythe, and the hedgehog had no knowledge of this at all. Shocked by the wolf's reaction, Nikki gently let him go. "…Trace…"

"It's not from the incident at the factory if that's what you're thinking. You have nothing to do with anything that is going on here and you need to keep it that way."

"But, Trace I can-"

"Nikki, leave it."

"But-"

"Leave it."

Nikki was completely confused by this. She wanted to help Trace, but she couldn't help him if he wasn't willing to cooperate in the slightest bit. What was happening here? Was Trace being forced into staying here? The fact that Trace wasn't giving her any details wasn't helping matters. Instead of pressing this matter any further, she decided to try and offer Trace a way out. "If it's that bad Trace, why don't you just come with us? And mean all of you."

But it was apparent that Trace wasn't going to accept that offer either. The wolf looked away from her. "…I can't." He then completely turned around, he looked back one more time. "Don't let me catch you on this side of the border again." He then ran across the border and out of sight.

Nikki tried to call back to him, but he didn't even glance back as he turned around the corner. "Trace!"

* * *

Author's Note: Oh boy... Trace, why do you have to be so stubborn?

The landslide continues in the next Chapter.

For update Information...check my profile :D


	14. Chapter 31: The Truth

Here's Chapter 31.

This one actually finished a lot fast than the others because...one, it's short...two, I had the layout and notes already written for the whole thing lol. I love it when it's this easy :D

I usually listen to music when I write my chapters. One of these days, I'll have to post a list of the songs I listened to for each one to give you guys an idea. This chapter was a Three Days Grace one, considering that every song I listened to while writing it was a song by them lol.

Thanks to all that reviewed the last chapter. No anonymous reviews this time, so here we go. Chapter 31. Enjoy :D

* * *

_**Chapter 31: The Truth**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

Instead of chasing after Trace, Nikki decided to catch up with the others to make sure they got back to the orphanage safely. As soon as Nikki caught up, Dark simply teleported everyone to the front of the orphanage.

"Well…that works." Skyler stated in amazement as she recognized her surroundings and realized what had occurred.

"Thanks Dark." Nikki turned to him and smiled.

The black hedgehog simply nodded.

Suddenly remembering something, Jodi turned to the blue hedgehog next to her. "Oh Nikki, there's something I need to tell you before you head back. It's important."

"Sure Sis, what is it?" Nikki asked curiously.

"Well, you know how I said that I accidentally ended up in Former Station Square?"

"Yeah, your jacket got caught on the wiring."

"Well…that's not exactly how it happened."

Nikki shot her sister a slightly confused look. "Huh?"

"I was actually testing out a new invention. You see, when Gyro used his nanites to take control of the shield, it gave me an idea. Why can't we do that with some of the Exus robots?"

"Turn them against each other…clever." Dark said impressed.

"It actually is pretty simple to hack into their system, the problem I found was controlling it once I actually attached the device. I didn't take into account how complicated the technology really was."

The blue hedgehog raised on of her eyebrows and nearly laughed at the comical scene that played back in her head. "So, you were basically riding a mechanical bull trying to stop it when you ended up in Former S.S. right?"

"Exactly." Jodi then continued. "And I couldn't tell the border patrol exactly what happened because, you know what would happen. Something like that, when in the hands of someone that doesn't understand it, could cause major damage."

"Yeah no kidding." Nikki started to think of the way Trace acted back outside the border. If whoever was in charge got a hold of a weapon like that…

"Not only that, they probably wouldn't have believed me anyway."

"That's true, it does sound pretty farfetched." Nikki thought out loud. "But, of course I believe you." She quickly added with a smile.

"I'm still going to be working the kinks out of it, but I want you to take a data disk to Tails for me. I bet he can find out what I'm missing in these calculations."

"Sure, no problem."

The ferret then reached into her jacket and took out a small pen. "Thanks Nikki."

She then handed the pen to Nikki, who was a little confused by this. "Sis, this is a pen."

"It looks like a pen, twist the top of it."

Nikki did as Jodi asked and then the pen gave way into two pieces. In the piece behind the tip, was a flash drive export. "Nifty."

"With Exus robots lurking everywhere, I had to be more careful of where I keep the data to my experiments. It definitely helped out when they searched my jacket and found the pen and simply put it back in my pocket."

"Yeah, good thing." Nikki agreed. "Don't worry, I'll make sure Tails gets this."

"Thanks." Jodi then turned to follow Skyler and Cinder inside. "Well, I better go. I have a lot of bugs to work out of the Exus Controller."

"Is that what you're calling it?"

"Well, I haven't really thought of a name for it yet. I'll get back to you when I figure that out."

"Kay, see ya later Sis." Nikki waved as her and Dark took off into the night.

"Later Nikki!" Jodi shouted back for her to hear.

* * *

After running through the forest, the two hedgehogs came to a stop. Knowing that it had to be late, and being as it was always hard to tell if it was dark due to the blanket of grey smog that covered the sky, Nikki looked pulled up one of her gloves and looked at her watch. "Wow, 2 am? Man, I had no idea it was that late."

"So, that means you'll be heading back then."

"Yeah, we'll have to pick up where we left off tomorrow."

"I think we're wasting too much time by just waiting until the next day. I'll go ahead and search the base we planned on searching this morning. That way, we can move onto another tomorrow."

Nikki wasn't too sure about Dark searching a base on his own, but then again, he was more than capable of taking care of himself. And it did sound like a good idea, the midnight hedgehog didn't need to sleep after all and the sooner they find any clues to Snivly's whereabouts (as well as Dark's past.) the better. So, she agreed. "Alright, just be careful Dark."

She then started running toward home, but turned back one last time. "So, same meeting place tomorrow then?"

Dark nodded.

"Okay, meet you there." The blue hedgehog gave him a smile, then dashed off at blinding speed. The midnight hedgehog glanced toward his destination and then took off toward the abandoned base.

* * *

Near the outskirts of Former Station Square, Trace decided to check around the border. The robot detector in his lightning cuff had gone off and he wasn't going to let a metal freak sneak in. He looked around, being extra careful not to be spotted by the intruder. The lightning cuff began to surge with static electricity lightly, the faster the pulses came, the closer the robot was. This way, Trace wouldn't give away his position and he could easily tell if a robot is really there even while he is using his insight.

The fur around the device began to stand up as the intruder drew closer. Trace just barely glanced around the corner, what he saw made his fur stand completely on end. An Exus Elite whizzed by, but slowed down as it sensed Trace's presence. The wolf pressed his back against the wall of the building.

_An Elite…here? This is not good._

He knew that he was no match for an Exus Elite on his own and if he tried to contact someone, he would be killed before he could even finish the first word. The Elite slinked closer, Trace was fighting back the urge to fight or flee. It was just inches away from the corner now. Trace held his breath, hoping the robot wouldn't come any closer. Just when Trace thought the Elite would rush from the corner and attack him, he was shocked to find it did the opposite. The robot walked away from the building and then continued on it's way. It was like it thought that the wolf wasn't worth it's time, and a good thing for Trace too.

The wolf let a sigh of relief escape him as he allowed himself to slid down to the floor. _That was too close._

Suddenly, his lightning cuff went off again. _Oh no…what now?_

Not even a split second later, a bright golden flash whizzed by. Peeking from around the corner, Trace recognized the second intruder…it was the black hedgehog that was with Nikki earlier. The midnight hedgehog didn't stop, but continued forward.

_He's heading in the same direction as the Exus Elite…_

The wolf then looked down at his lightning cuff, which just now had stopped vibrating.

_What's going on?…The sensor wouldn't have gone off like that unless…Unless…that hedgehog really is…_

* * *

Getting in the abandoned base was easy enough for Dark, but once inside he found himself in a massive hanger. The place was certainly very old, cobwebs and rust littered the walls and rafters. Endless rows of doors lined the walls, at least a hundred by the look of it. And after opening one of the doors and just looking down the hall, it looked like there were even more rooms to look into. To thoroughly search this place was certainly going to take more than five hours and that's with him moving quickly from room to room. The midnight hedgehog was fast, but this was ridiculous. He was starting to think that he should've just waited for Nikki, two fast moving hedgehogs would cover more ground easily than one.

He recognized the logo on the wall, Nikki had mentioned that it belonged to Eggman. With that knowledge, he had a good idea of where to start looking. The midnight hedgehog backtracked back to the hanger and then leapt effortlessly up to the rafters. He scanned below him, looking for a sign of which door would lead to the control room. Just ahead of him, toward the back of the hanger was a door that had Eggman's logo plastered on it. "Predictable."

Dark spun and busted through the door. His assumption had been correct. The midnight hedgehog began to type away on the master computer, first turning off all the traps. He then began to search the database for any files that would be familiar…nothing, the computer had been wiped clean of all files. After finding no information on the computer that was useful, Dark then looked up the schematic to the base on the computer. He found that this base was Eggman's most recent one, the last date it was updated was thirteen years ago. On the map were a few key places that looked promising to the black hedgehog. One in particular, was the last basement floor. If Eggman wanted to keep any important information, it would most likely be there.

It took at least three hours to get down there. He found that he couldn't teleport between the floors, which was strange to him. He had never had this problem before, at least since he's been awake anyway. Anything before then, was open to guesses and theories. The door to the final basement seemed strange to him. It almost looked like a door that was built to keep contaminants from getting in or out. He looked at the lettering which read.

_Shadow Experiment: X2_

The midnight hedgehog grabbed the vault door and turned the wheel. The locked groaned, but gave way as Dark pushed the door open.

The midnight hedgehog stepped in, his bright red eyes glowed as he glanced around the room. Large cylindrical tubes lined the walls on either side. At first, Dark thought that they may have been fuel cells, but upon seeing something strange floating in one of the tubes, stepped in for a closer look.

The tank was covered in a thick layer of dust. Without giving it a second thought, he took is hand and wiped away the dust at face level. What he saw shocked him even more than any experience he had encountered since he had been awake. There…in the tank staring lifelessly was an unfinished copy…of himself.

In his shock, Dark stepped back and hit the tube behind him. Glancing behind him, he saw that that tube had another double inside as well. He felt like he was being surrounded as every tube he happened to glance at had another black and gold hedgehog, each one incomplete and far from among the living.

His heart began to race, hundreds of thoughts flooded him all at once. _What happened here? Why were their clones of himself? _And the worst thought…_was he one of them?_

Entranced in these dire thoughts, Dark didn't notice the Exus Elite that was lurking in the shadows behind him. He was lucky the Elite's foot hit a stray piece of scrap metal on the floor. One of his ears perked in that direction and the rest of him followed, his determined persona returned to him and his red eyes stared down the intruder in an untrusting manner.

The Elite then spoke. _**"Well…isn't this interesting…" **_

As the Elite took a step closer, Dark growled under his breath. He knew what these things we capable of, having fought one back at Snivly's old base. He had underestimated that one, he won't make that mistake again.

The Elite continued. _**"…I came here to raid this base of it's experiments…and here I find one of you…actually alive."**_

Dark's eyes narrowed even more.

The sinister robot then gave a sinister grin. _**"Must be my lucky day. Adapting you're technology would certainly give me an advantage over that foolish hedgehog."**_

Even though he didn't show it, he recognized what the scrap heap was talking about. _Foolish hedgehog…if he's not talking about me…he must be talking about Nikki._

Now that was it, there was no way he could let this excuse for a junk yard get away, not if it was going to go after Nikki next. He stood defiantly, staring the robot down with those blood red eyes with determination. "Hmm, you're pretty pathetic. You have to steal technology just fight a girl."

"_**Oh, I think you misunderstood me. You see, we Exus don't steal technology, we make our own…from roboticized Mobians."**_

By the look of it, the Elite was trying to get a reaction from Dark. For any normal Mobian, there most likely would've been a fearful reaction to it, but none of that showed in the black hedgehog's body language. Instead, there was something else there…anger…rage…it was hiding there behind his eyes and some of it escaped when exhaled a breath.

He wasn't thinking of his own safety at all, he was thinking about all the Mobians he had met. Even though he would never express it, there was something important about every one of them. Jodi was intelligent, yet she was kind hearted. Trace seemed stubborn and resentful, yet he was still willing to help others in need. And Nikki…she may have been a bit crazy, reckless, and free to let everything brush off her shoulder, but her compassion and her strength was something that he had admired…even though he would never admit that to her. Just the thought of these freaks turning those innocent lives into scrap metal…

"In order for you to do that…" Golden energy began to surround the black hedgehog, his blood red eyes glowed. "…you'll have to get through me first."

The robot seemed to snicker at Dark's threat, unfazed by the swirling energy now surrounding and threatening to obliterate everything in the room. _**"Ha ha ha, go ahead, 'Hero' Make your move."**_

In that instant, both the hedgehog and the robot disappeared, but flashes of light and the sound of clashing metal echoed off the walls. The fight was intense, it was surprising that none of them hit the tanks in the room.

Dark found an opening and then attacked. "Chaos Spear!"

But the robot launched an attack of his own. _**"Cross Slash!"**_

Each blast blew the other back, but both got their footing and then continued their assault. Dark managed to get the upper hand and then attacked again "Chaos Spear!"

That time, Dark hit the Elite dead on before it could block. But just when Dark was coming in for the finishing blow, the Elite took it's bladed arm and then slashed the tank next to it. As soon as the liquid in the tank met the outside air, the tank erupted in a massive explosion.

* * *

Author's Note: Oh my...O_O Well, I said this was going to go down-hill really fast. Will Dark get of this alive? find out in the next Chapter of Sonic's Legacy.

For update information...check my profile. :D


	15. Chapter 32: Fake

Wahoo, Two Chapters finished in the same day? I'm on a roll XD

Since I finished it so fast, not many people had the chance to review before I put it up lol ah well. :D

So, here's the next Chapter of Sonic's Legacy. Enjoy! :D

* * *

_**Chapter 32: Fake…**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

Nikki shot out of bed with a start. It wasn't a nightmare that woke her from her sleep, it was something she sensed.

_What was that?_

She looked toward the little Chao that was now hiding under the covers of his bed, shaking in terror. Night hadn't been this scared for a long time, that's when Nikki knew that he had sensed it too.

As she looked toward her bedroom door, she sensed another spike in energy.

_Another one…That feels like it's coming from…_

The hedgehog wasted no time and dashed right out of the room. She then bolted into the hanger. Tails, who was still awake working on one of his inventions, watched as Nikki took off at blinding speed up the stairs and out the hanger door, without even noticing he was there.

Tails knew that something had to be wrong. Nikki would usually at least say 'Hi bye' which is all she would have time to say when she was in a rush. But this…

The fox quickly grabbed his communicator and tried to contact her. "Nikki, come on, Nikki pick up."

"Tails, I really can't talk right now."

"Is everything alright?"

"I think one of my friends might be in trouble."

"Do you need me to come?"

"No, I'm sure it's probably just me being paranoid or something. I'm just gonna check on him and see if he's okay. I'll call you back if I need you."

"Okay, I'll be standing by."

By this time Nikki had already made it about halfway to the base that Dark said he was going to search. Suddenly something caught her eye. It was Trace…far from the Former Station Square.

_That's weird…what's __**he**__ doing here?_

"Tails, I'm gonna have to call you back." She then hung up and was in front of Trace in a flash.

Trace jumped, he wasn't expecting Nikki to be here, let alone two inches in front him. "Whoa! Don't do that!"

"Trace, did you happen to sense a surge in Chaos Energy just now?"

The wolf gave her a surprised look. "Yeah, but how did you-"

"Never mind that, which way did it come from? I was too far away to tell."

"It came from an old Eggman base just south of here. An Exus Elite headed in that direction early this morning."

Nikki's eyes widened. _An Exus Elite…the base to the south…that's the base Dark was searching this morning._

The wolf continued. "It came this way a few minutes ago, looked pretty beat up. Actually, it looked more like acid got to it or something."

_Acid?… _"Trace, you've been out here all morning right? Did you see a black hedgehog run by here?"

"Yeah, just after the Exus Elite ran toward the base."

Nikki was shocked by this. "What? You saw the Elite run by _first_ and you didn't stop him or say anything?"

This was really bad. Even though Dark was strong, there was no way he could take on an Elite on his own. And from what Trace was saying, the Elite got out, but Dark was still inside the base. After hearing all this, thought slightly pissed at Trace, Nikki took off toward the abandoned base.

As she picked up the pace, she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong. She turned on her communicator and contacted Tails.

"Nikki?" The fox answered, though he had told Nikki to call her if she needed help, he wasn't really expecting that she would, so it surprised him.

"Tails, we have a big problem…"

"How big are we talking about?" As he's talking on the communicator, Tails was rapidly packing the X Tornado 2."

"My friend ran into an Exus Elite…I'm trying to get there now, but…"

Tails leapt into the X Tornado 2 and started to turn the engine on. "Go it, I'm on my way. I'll contact Knuckles and see if he can catch up as well. Do you…need me to stay on the communicator with you?"

"No, I just you need you to get there as fast as you can. I'm alright." In reality, Nikki was worried, practically flying faster than the speed of sound. "I'll send you the coordinates as soon as I hang up."

"Alright…just be careful."

"Yeah…you too." Nikki then hung up and then took out the digital map from her quills. While still running at top speed, she clicked on the bases location and then placed the map back in her quills.

She couldn't understand what she was feeling right now. Though she kept trying to tell herself that Dark was strong and that he was probably fine and was going to tell her that was worrying too much, something just kept telling her that what she was going to find in that base…was what she could only wish would be just a nightmare. It was like she could feel Dark struggling to hang on, why was she feeling this way? Was she really sensing what was happening to Dark, or was this what it really felt like to worry about someone when you knew what you will find at the end.

_Hang on Dark…I'm coming, just hang on…_

* * *

The dust from the explosion began to settle around what was left of the subterranean lab. Surprisingly, the walls were still intact. Even most of the tubes were still intact, though some had cracks that threatened to give way and repeat the horrible process over again.

Dark laid motionless close to the far end of the hall, where the blast un-forgivingly sent him. He had been out for a while, he could feel that as he began to come back around. His amethyst red eyes adjusted to darkness around him and shock flooded his system from what it revealed. The silhouette of his right arm looked skeletal only held together by what looked to be thin strands of wire. But even more disturbing than that, was what his vision further showed…the exposed bone wasn't bone at all, but black, shinning metal. He clinched his exposed hand in a fist and cringed as he realized the complete truth of what he truly was…

…_fake…_

Meanwhile, Nikki was practically flying at top speed trying to find Dark. Knuckles and Tails were behind her, though at least miles away by now due to the blue blur leaving them in the dust.

She didn't need a tracking device or someone to tell her where she needed to go. Dark's natural ability to constantly channel Chaos Energy drew her like a magnet to his direction. And unknowingly to her, there may have been something else drawing her to the black hedgehog.

The blue hedgehog made it to the scene of the crime and looked down where Dark had entered the insane doctor's former lab.

Instantly, without caring what else may be down there with her, she yelled down the hall. "DARK!"

…No answer.

She sped down the hall so fast that it only took a split second to reach the end. She knew there was someone in this room, she could sense it. Not being able to see very well in the dark room, she reached over for the light switch. It was similar to a horror film, the lights flickering trying desperately to give light, but struggling to survive through the faulty wiring and dust. As her eyes lead her to look to the right, her spiked hair stiffened as she jumped slightly. It was a cylinder tube that looked not at all different than the one she found Dark in. In fact, an unfinished copy of the black hedgehog still resided in the tube staring blankly at her with no signs of life. She stepped back and then realized there was another copy right next to it…and another…and another…the whole hall was lined with black hedgehog clones!

A soft breath brought her back into focus and her emerald eyes followed the path where the weakened whisper had come from. There…on the cold, unforgiving metal floor…was Dark in full view.

…_no…_

Without hesitating the blue hedgehog dashed to his side. Dark's body looked to still be in shock. His eyes looked distant…faded…

Her eyes caught sight of the condition of his right arm, her blue eyelids fell for a second. She took off her jacket and swiftly and carefully wrapped it around the exposed bo-…well metal… and then tied the sleeves at the top of the shoulder to keep the black hedgehog from bleeding out any more than he already had.

She then tried to wake Dark up. "Dark? Dark, it's Nikki. Wake up."

…no response…

Her voice began to rise slightly, betraying the seemingly strong figure that tried to revive her fallen comrade. "Dark! Look at me!"

The blue hedgehog noticed his eyes slightly moved in her direction, but they weren't as brilliant as she remembered. As soon as he realized who it actually was at his side, he cringed even further, almost curling up into a ball and slightly convulsed still in shock. His eyes closed tightly shut.

She tried to sooth him with her calm serene voice, though she couldn't hide a hint of worry that still lingered behind it. "No Dark, it's alright. Open your eyes."

He was barley responding to her voice now, his body shook even more when she touched him. The black hedgehog tried to take a breath in, but found it difficult. It felt like searing metal was tearing at his lungs when he tried.

Nikki had never seen Dark in this condition…of course, fitting the pieces together with everything in the room and the black hedgehog's…surprise… she could see why.

Dark could hardly bear it any longer. It all hurt too much, not the pain, but the truth about what he was and what effect it could have on Nikki. She hated robots and it turns out that _he's_ one of them?

"…D-don't…g-get out…"

"Dark, I'm not leaving you here to-"

"…E-experiment…n-not real…"

As Nikki was trying to calm him down, Dark's spikes just seemed stiffen from both emotional and physical stress. "I know and I don't care. You're real to me. Dark, please look at me."

At that same time, Dark didn't hear her words, but as she spoke countered with a few that he could manage of his own. "…N-Nikki…Goddamnit!" In one fluid motion he pulled the jacket up that was wrapped around his arm and revealed the metal skeleton underneath. _**"Look at me!"**_

The black hedgehog stared directly at her, his amethyst red eyes shined for that brief moment as anger and hurt hid behind them.

Nikki's look still remained calm, but looked more serious now as she gently took the makeshift tourniquet and pulled it back over Dark's arm. "I am…and do you know what I see?"

The black hedgehog's look didn't change in the slightest. She carefully guided his injured arm to rest softly on his chest, her emerald eyes remained bright. "All I see…is you."

Dark's look changed only slightly into confusion. _What the hell did she mean by that? _Half the time, this girl said things that just made absolutely no sense to him…this was one of those times.

"…B-but you…"

Nikki could read Dark's face like a book and continued. "This…" She placed her hand on Dark's injured arm, just barely touching it in case it would hurt her friend. "…doesn't change anything."

The black hedgehog still wasn't buying it in the least. In his daze, he didn't realize the next thing he thought out loud just barely loud enough for Nikki to hear. "…you…hate me…d-don't you?.."

"I would never. Dark, you're my friend. I'm not gonna throw that away because you _happen_ to be an android. I'm not _that _foolish."

The black hedgehog looked into her blazing emerald eyes and could see that she was completely serious with him…for once. He remembered the first few months after they met and what he used to say to her…_Foolish. _Then he remembered just after this encounter, that was the same thing that…_trash can, _called her earlier. He laid his head back down on the metal floor and sighed. "…I'm…sorry…about that."

That wasn't what Nikki was hinting at all when she said she wasn't foolish, but she made that connection pretty quick and realized what the slightly delirious hedgehog was mumbling about. "Eh, it's different when you say it."

He gave her a slightly confused look at first, letting his tired mind catch up to the rest of what was happening. His eyes then softened when he realized…what he was made of…whatever his purpose was before this…none of that mattered anymore. This girl, the one living being on this planet that actually gave a damn for what happened to him, saw him as something more. In that moment, he knew that with her…was the only place where he wanted to be.

Suddenly, his eyes widened. He closed his eyes tight as shock began to take him over again. This time though, it wasn't emotion that was causing it. His body was already almost completely drained of blood and was starting to shut down.

"I have to get you out of here." Nikki was doing a good job keeping herself calm on the outside, but inside her head she was screaming Dark's name in fear for his life…and it showed slightly in her eyes.

"…I…I don't…have…energy to…use C-Chaos Control…" Even though Dark felt like he was going to die, his mind was still intact. He knew how badly his condition was worsening. "…and you…can't…heal me…"

Nikki knew Dark was right. She had tried to heal him before and for some reason…she couldn't. Once the energy passed through her, it didn't want to pass into Dark at all. Her friend seemed to be fading right before her eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

The midnight hedgehog's eyes and body relaxed as mental and physical exhaustion took it's toll.

"No Dark, stay with me!"

In that instant, as if by some miracle or amazing timing, footsteps are heard swiftly moving down the hall. The voice of a familiar fox echoed through the halls. "Nikki!"

The blue hedgehog looked behind her. "Tails! Come quick!"

Hearing Nikki's familiar voice, but slightly worried about the unusual tone behind it, the two-tailed fox picked up the pace down the hall ahead of him.

Nikki's attention returned to her friend now fading into unconsciousness.

Wasting no time, Tails came to a quick stop and knelt next to his adopted daughter. He took one look at Dark and a flood of thoughts came through his mind as fast as the speed of light. One thought sounded louder than all the rest…_He looks just like…Shadow?_

"Right." His focus on the situation at hand returned and he turned to Nikki. "We don't have time to get him to base…" The fox looked behind him, though trying not to show it, he was dreading actually putting into motion what he was about to say. "…we'll have to use what we have here."

Tails really didn't like this idea. This was one of the bases of that…egg headed, egocentric maniac. The idea of using one of Eggman's equipment to save someone…? It sounded as crazy as the insane scientist himself, but Tails knew…there was no alternative.

The fox readied himself to help move the lifeless hedgehog. "I'll take left, you take the right." He gave her a look, predicting a possible question that may follow his statement. "He knows you, I'm sure he would be more forgiving of you on the side of injury than me."

Nikki nodded, "Okay."

Together they lifted Dark up. Tails swung Dark's arm over his shoulder, while Nikki held Dark up around his waist on his right side, trying really hard not to put the black hedgehog through more pain than he had to endure.

With Nikki's quick speed and Tails' navigating skills, they made it to one of Eggman's surgical rooms…one that Tails remembered all too well. There was one time he remembered the deranged scientist had kidnapped him and took him to this very room and was going to torture him…that is, until Sonic came just in time and saved the young kit…it all seemed like it was only yesterday…

As soon as the door opened, Tails' mind was back in his own time. Him and the blue hedgehog laid Dark on the operating table in the center of the room. Tails then turned to her. "Nikki, there's a duffle bag in the rear compartment of the plane-"

Before he could finish, Nikki was out the door in a flash. It only took her a few seconds to run out of the base, open the compartment, grab the duffle bag, close the compartment, and dash back into the room. Sometimes Tails actually forgot how fast Nikki really was.

Tails got to work quickly, using some strange handheld contraption he had invented to stop the bleeding at Dark's shoulder and anywhere else he noticed a vital leak. Dark didn't flinch, in his condition he probably should have. This wasn't looking good from Tails' perspective, but then again…Dark wasn't mortal either.

Tails then looked at the blue hedgehog next to the table. "I just remembered, the others don't know where we are." Though this was a fact, Tails simply wanted a way to convince Nikki out of the room.

Nikki took the hint, "I'll tell them." She dashed out of the room swiftly to the plane, she knew that Tails must've been in a tough spot. He wouldn't even hint to be alone if he wasn't.

Now was the hard part…taking the tourniquet off. Just as he started to peal the jacket away, another hand forcefully grabbed his own. The midnight hedgehog stared untrustingly at the strange fox, searching for his true intentions. His bright crimson eyes glowed slightly for a only a second, but Tails caught sight of it.

Tails didn't resist, he didn't tense up. He remained relaxed, keeping his body language as calm as possible. His kind sapphire eyes met the eyes of his patient's. "It's alright, I'm here to help."

Dark was mostly acting on instinct at this point. He was still too weak to fight back and he knew it, but he wanted to make absolutely sure that whoever this was knew…that he was far from helpless.

Sensing that Dark was still unsure about him, Tails said the magic words. "Nikki called me."

The midnight hedgehog recognized his friend's name. Not only that, he knew a liar when he saw one. And looking into that fox's eyes just that one time told him, there was no lie in his intentions…this was a friend of Nikki's and he was trying to save him.

"Now, could you let me go so I can get back to work?" Tails simply smiled.

_And that's where she gets it from. _Dark thought noticing the little smirk and the optimistic expression on Tails' face. Dark complied and let the fox's arm go.

"Thank you."

As Dark's sudden burst of adrenaline faded, he felt the pain flood in again. The only real sign that he gave of his discomfort, was a disgruntled sigh that was easy for Tails to recognize. Not only did Shadow used to do this, on rare occasions, Sonic had done the same in those times when he tried to pick himself up off the floor.

The midnight hedgehog felt himself drifting again.

* * *

After Nikki contacted Knuckles and told him where they were, she waited outside the door to the surgery room.

She remembered how Trace had said that he had seen Dark run by after the Exus Elite had. The way how he had said that was like it was no big deal. _Why was that? Did he have something against Dark? What could he possibly have against him, he hardly knew him._

…_unless…he knew!…He knew what Dark was and didn't __**care**__ what happened to him._

That did sound like Trace after all, he didn't just hate the Exus, he hated all robots. But still, that was no excuse. Anger came over her as she put this all together.

_Trace! You racist jerk!_

In her rage, she dashed out of the base and toward the border of Former Station Square.

* * *

Author's Note: Oh boy, Nikki is pissed. I wonder how this is gonna turn out. Find out in the next Chapter of Sonic's Legacy.

For update information...check my profile :D


	16. Chapter 33: Limit

And here's Chapter 33. Good Lord, I finished this one just barely into the next day...0_o

But this one did already have more than half of it already written, so that's why. :D

There's just one anonymous review this time.

-SoulPeices

Yay! iPhone's for the win! XD Yeah, I don't have one of those lol. If I did, I would be in big trouble because I would be writing on it all the time lol.

Anyway, here's Chapter 33: Limit. Enjoy! :D

* * *

_**Chapter 33: Limit**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

Tails walked out of the surgery room exhausted. He allowed a sigh to escape him as he took off the bloody surgical gloves and discarded them. The fox looked up expecting to see Nikki standing there in the hall, but to his surprise, the blue hedgehog was no where to be seen.

_That's odd, now where did __**she **__go? Probably just went for a run. Sonic often did that when something bothered him, I can't expect Nikki not to do the same thing._

Knowing that it would be best for the midnight hedgehog to rest for a while, Tails flew down the hall and out of the base. Knuckles was waiting outside, leaning on the X Tornado 2.

The echidna watched as his comrade came out into view from the base's entrance. "So, how's our 'mystery friend' of Nikki's doing?"

"He'll be fine…as long as he doesn't do very much for a while. He was pretty lucky. If his muscle was torn anymore-"

"Yeah, don't wanna hear the details thanks." Knuckles shuddered in disgust.

"Right, sorry. So, did you happen to see Nikki?"

"Nope. She called me and when I got here, she was already gone."

Tails sighed. "I hope she gets back soon. I hate the idea of her running off out here, especially with that Exus Elite still lurking about."

Knuckles agreed. "No kidding."

"She's smart though, even though she doesn't act like it sometimes. She wouldn't go looking for trouble like that."

The echidna gave Tails a strange look. "You know we _are_ talking about Nikki right?"

The twin-tailed fox face palmed himself. "Ugh, who am I kidding? She's a trouble magnet."

Knuckles laughed at Tails' reaction to his previous statement. "Exactly."

The echidna suddenly stopped laughing as he looked toward the entrance to the base. Noticing Knuckles' expression, Tails turned and looked behind him. His eyes widened as he saw Dark leaning against the hanger doorway.

"What are you doing? You shouldn't be up." Tails pointed out with slight concern

"Do I look…like I care?" Dark retorted as he looked at the fox.

Tails didn't know exactly what to say to that. But he didn't have to as the midnight hedgehog continued. "Besides…can't teleport in that damn base."

"You can't do that, doing anything too strenuous right now would-"

Dark interrupted Tails. "Something's wrong with her…I have to find her…"

"No, what you need to do is rest. We'll find her."

"No…you're too slow."

"Too slow?" The echidna walked up to the midnight hedgehog. It looked like smoke was about to come clean out of his head. "Now you listen here you smart ass, you're in no condition to-"

Suddenly, the black hedgehog disappeared into thin air, leaving Knuckles shocked and jaw dropped. "Wha!"

"Well, he did mention he could teleport." Tails added trying not to laugh at Knuckles.

* * *

Trace was patrolling his usual section of former Station Square just along the border. Suddenly he heard something like a jet engine flying right behind him.

"_**TRACE!"**_

The wolf recognized it in a instant. He rolled his eyes and turned around, not realizing that the source of the shout wasn't stopping…that is, until it was too late.

The blue flash plowed right into Trace and they both rolled several feet, ending with Nikki holding the wolf to the floor. She stared him down, anger flooding her emerald eyes. "…you…"

"What the hell are you doing here? Are you mad?" Trace yelled as he tried to pry himself free from Nikki's grip.

"You just left him there? And you're thinking _I'm_ the one whose insane?"

"That's what this is all about? That _trash can_?"

Oh, that was it. Nikki pulled Trace up with no effort and threw him into the wall. She may not have looked like it, but she was incredibly strong, even for Trace.

"He was innocent, Trace! We're all on the same side in this war! We don't kill each other!"

"Funny, coming from the one that attacked me first. Besides, I'm not the one that attacked him."

"You left him there! _To die_, Trace! I wouldn't even wish that on my worst enemy." She was trying to calm herself down by the end of that sentence, but her blood was still boiling and there was still strong searing anger in her words.

She looked at him, searching for any sign of remorse in his golden eyes…there was none and venom coated the words he spoke next. "_He's not real_, Nikki."

The young hero couldn't believe those words and she refused to. She leaned in closer, just inches away from his face. Her eyes nearly glowed an eerie emerald as her anger rose even higher. Her voice wasn't laced with venom, but was smooth and sounded like the growl of an angry lioness protecting her pride. "And what of the Mobians still roboticized from Robtinik's war…Are they 'not real' either? They gave everything they had for _our_ future…would you forsake them?"

Trace remembered the last time he had stepped onto this ground with Nikki. It was when they were kids and he had insulted her father. She was scary back then and even now, (even though he hated to admit it) he was scared of her. This girl had enough power to end him in a single blow and he knew it. She would never use it, but if he pushed her far enough…and if she didn't decide to just walk away…he might not be left to do just that…walk away. But he was too prideful to apologize either.

He looked at her, his golden irises met her emerald eyes in blazing fury. "As Freedom Fighters, our first and _only _concern is to protect the living."

There was a slight moment of hurt behind the hedgehog's eyes, but soon a swift toss over her shoulder followed. She had every intention of just letting him skid across the sand and rubble and hit the building behind her, which her move did just that. It had taken every ounce of resistance she had not to just knock the wolf out with a single punch. She could've just as easily, but what would that prove?

She then glanced at him as she noticed him getting back up, with just a few minor scrapes and bruises. There was pain behind her eyes. "Those Renegades have you on such a short chain, they're already choking you and you don't even realize it."

"You have no idea…" Trace growled. He was really pissed now. His words were as cold as ice. "…You're blinded by your own fame and glory to even take a second look at what is actually happening…The way that _thing_ looks at you-"

"Don't even…say another word." Nikki stood firm, she wasn't going to let him finish that sentence. She had tried everything and now she's almost reached her limit. "It is never about fame for me…for you to even think that…then you know _nothing _about me." Nikki didn't even recognize her own voice anymore, it was so…dark.

"Having some trouble, are we?"

The unwelcoming voice came from the other side of a mountain of rubble. The stranger revealed himself as he walked to the top of the artificial hill. It was a liger, but not like the Mobian kind she knew. He was the primal kind from the southern shore. Most Mobians were sapient, looked more like Nikki or Trace, but this Mobian still had the remnants of the eldest bloodline flowing in his veins. His feet were bare, aside from the fur and claws protruding from four toes. His claws unsheathed from his fingertips when he saw Nikki on their side of the border. And he was tall…very tall. He could easily be taller than most humans.

He stepped toward her, his eyes shined as the smallest glint of light shined on them. Each step the liger took looked like a hunter's stance, like his primal instinct was kicking in…and Nikki was his prey.

Trace whipped around toward the intruder. "Scythe, this is my side of the borderline. Back off!"

Nikki could tell by Trace's reaction that they weren't on good terms with one another. _Divided in their own organization. _Nikki simply shook her head. _Now this is just sad._

"Thought you could use some assistance." The big cat nearly bared his fangs as he spoke.

Nikki didn't like this, something about this guy was way off base. The way he talked, the way he moved, his body language was giving her the signals that would make most other Mobians run for their lives. She knew, this wasn't going to end well.

"_Your_ assistance is not required. I am more than capable of handling this myself."

"Sure doesn't look that way to me." Scythe didn't take his eyes off of Nikki for one second.

He was completely focused on her. And that unnerved her even more. She could see it in his eyes…he's killed before. Her face and her posture remained the same however. The young hero would never show her opponent that she had any doubts, she would never give them that satisfaction.

"So, you're the 'tin can' sympathizer." Scythe snarled.

"And let me guess…you're gonna tell me to leave or you'll beat the crap out of me right? Good luck with that, Fluffy." Nikki gave him that same smirk.

"Actually, on this side of the border, siding with the enemy is considered treason…and the punishment for treason…is death."

Nikki scoffed. "Yeah and who died and made you judge?" She then gave him an accusing stare. "Or did you kill him for 'treason' too?"

"Nikki!" Trace was very wary now, this situation was going completely down the wrong path and fast.

"Trace seriously, your senses a far more sensitive than mine and he absolutely wreaks with the smell of blood." Nikki knew that smell all too well, unfortunately. Ever since the virus incident, her senses were acute to that smell. "I'm surprised you can even stand to be anywhere near him."

That was when she realized…Trace wasn't anywhere near him. In fact, Trace had moved slightly before the big cat even walked into view. And this was the first time she realized how on edge Trace actually was. The wolf was glaring at Scythe now, knowing all too well what might happen next. But Nikki would be fast enough, she could get away…That is, if she chose to run.

But she didn't. Not after what she heard next.

"That metal trash got what it deserved, there's no mercy for a soulless monster."

That was the last thing Nikki could stand. Her fur turned dark blue in an instant as dark energy surged through her. In the blink of an eye, she whipped around and charged at Scythe, who simply unsheathed his claws and smirked at Nikki's reaction. It was like a real cat fight; growling, snarling and painful slashing echoed through the air. Scythe and Nikki were attacking each other so fast and in such tight quarters. Neither one backed off even once, Nikki slashed and blocked with her spikes while Scythe mercilessly did the same with his claws.

The rest of Trace's team heard the commotion and rushed to the scene. They couldn't believe their eyes as they saw the two move so fast that all the fight looked to be was a blue and tan blur and the speed of their attacks sounded like pouring rain. Little drops of blood trailed as the fight went on.

Just as they were about to intervene, a golden flash dashed in and hit the two head on. Dust and debris fly in every direction, creating a thick cloud. Suddenly a metal arm pushed Scythe out of the cloud and gently grabbed him by the neck. It then whipped around and tossed the massive cat into the next building 30 feet away. The dust cloud cleared and revealed the one who stopped the fight. His midnight fur seemed to glow as the dust settled into the air.

"You…" Scythe's temper was flaring. He picked himself off of the ground and then rushed in at Dark, who in turn, was holding onto Nikki. The black hedgehog held his mechanical arm up and pushed against the massive cat, not allowing him to move any closer.

Dark let a disgruntled growl escape him, the pressure actually hurt a hell of a lot more than he was letting on. Suddenly, Nikki's eyes sprang open. Still focused on her opponent she tried to whip around Dark, not even noticing that her friend was the one holding her back. Dark's eyebrows raised a little, this wasn't normal for Nikki at all and even though he only knew her for about eight months now, he knew it.

Both Nikki and Scythe were covered in mostly minor cuts aside from one or two that were slightly deeper, but otherwise nothing worse for ware.

Scythe in the meantime was trying to tear through Dark's metal arm. "I'll kill 'em…I'll kill you both, you hear me?"

Hearing this, Trace and his team grabbed the massive liger. It literally took Trace, Valor, and Rain using her shield to hold him back.

As soon as they grabbed the psychotic cat, Dark let him go and then focused on Nikki. He was sensing that Nikki wasn't going to calm down anytime soon. He placed both of his arms under hers and effortlessly held her back. She struggled against him, obviously instinct was winning over her normal mindset. He lit his shoes and dashed off back over to the Freedom Fighters' border, a good distance away from the murderous liger. He thought that as long as Nikki was able to see the cause of her anger, she would continue like this until she brought him down.

"Nikki, you've got to calm down, it's over." Dark said with that same calm voice.

But Nikki looked back at him over her shoulder and let out a menacing growl.

One of Dark's eyebrows raised a little for a brief moment, he then gave a look that showed he wasn't at all fazed by Nikki's threat. "Oh no, you did _not_ just growl at me."

Suddenly Nikki's eyes widened. Her fur changed back to it's original azure blue when she realized who it actually was that was holding her back. "…Dark?"

"So, _now _you remember me." Dark gave her a slight smirk. Now realizing that Nikki's little anger tantrum was over, the midnight hedgehog let her go.

Nikki couldn't believe that Dark was standing right in front of her. The last time she saw him, he was fighting for his life. She gently took Dark's hand, the midnight hedgehog had no idea what she was planning. They both felt something when they touched, it was like what ever happened around them didn't matter.

Nikki suddenly embraced Dark, he really wasn't expecting this at all. _You're okay…Thank Mobius…_

Even though Nikki didn't say anything out loud, Dark was able to read her thoughts. She really was worried about him, this whole time. As Dark's adrenaline began to run down, he felt the pain from his arm come in again and clenched his teeth. Nikki suddenly realized what she was doing and then quickly let Dark go. "Sorry."

"No…it's not you…Gah!" Dark swiftly grabbed the metal casing that Tails had made around his arm. Because he used his arm to break up the fight, the muscle had torn and he was now feeling the ill effects from it. The midnight hedgehog suddenly dropped to his knees and then passed out as he fell to the floor.

"Dark!"

* * *

"Dark?…"

The midnight hedgehog could hear Nikki's voice through the darkness. He began to open his eyes and tried to get them to focus. _Where…am I?_

"Dark."

He was able to make out Nikki in front of him. "Nikki?"

As he tried to reach out to her, his hand hit something. It felt like a glass window. As his eyes began to adjust, he started to understand where he was. It was tank, just like one of the ones those other clones were in…only he was inside. The liquid in the tank suspended him in the middle of the tank, barely allowing his toes to touch the bottom. He reached up to his face and found a mask was covering his muzzle, allowing him to be able to breathe in the strange liquid substance.

"I wouldn't mess with that mask if I were you."

Dark looked over at where the voice came from. It was another blue hedgehog, well grey blue hedgehog anyway. He certainly looked and sounded much older than Nikki.

"Good to see you're awake." The old man continued.

"How long was I out?" Dark asked, though his voice was a little muffled through the mask.

"About 48 hours. You're one lucky kid, gave us quite a scare a few times."

Dark then looked at his arm, the metal casing had been removed. The skeletal like black metal seemed to glow as the liquid surrounded it. He also noticed something else, his arm didn't hurt at all. In fact, it felt like it was healing…slowly, but healing none the less. Dark moved his wrist to test it, he was surprised that it felt normal, like it was never injured in the first place.

"Huh, looks like the nanites are doing a good job repairing your arm. The organic material's gonna be hard to fix though. Never encountered a Mobian with a metal skeleton before. Or if I could even call it that, not even sure what the heck it is."

The old hedgehog then face palmed himself. "Oh, I'm sorry. I never introduced myself. I'm Professor Charles, but everyone just calls me Chuck."

"Or Uncle Charlie for me." Nikki added.

"So, how long do I have to stay here Professor?" The midnight hedgehog asked.

"Well…lets see. You did a pretty good job tearing the muscle at your shoulder…I'd say about a week or two."

Both Nikki and Dark gave the old hedgehog slightly shocked looks. Nikki spoke for both of their reactions. "Two weeks?"

That definitely wasn't the answer the midnight hedgehog was looking for. He lightly leaned his forehead against the glass with a thud.

* * *

Author's Note: Ha, poor Dark. I bet he's going to be crazy by the end of those two weeks. lol

For chapter update information...check my profile :D


	17. Chapter 34: Freedom, Part 1

Here it is, Chapter 34.

Sorry it took so long. If you wanna know why, read my profile :)

Also, this author intro might sound a bit rushed, well...that's because it is. XD

This chapter actually kind of wrote itself. Pretty much half of this chapter wasn't in the original plan, but it felt like it needed to be there. You'll see when you read it.

And yes, it is in two parts. The notes I had planned for this chapter got moved to the second part.

No anonymous reviews this time.

So Enjoy :)

* * *

_**Chapter 34: Freedom; Part 1**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

The midnight hedgehog tried to close his eyes and rest, but sleep still seemed to elude him. It's not that he wasn't tired, he was exhausted and could feel that his body wanted him to sleep. But his mind was wide awake, plus it felt strange being inside the nanite healing tank.

His red eyes drifted toward the blue hedgehog on the outside of the tank. She was sleeping on the ground near the tank, wrapped up in a blanket that Charles had brought in after she had fallen asleep.

_I still don't get it, why did she decide to sleep here? Is she still worried about me for some reason?_

Suddenly, the blue hedgehog stirred a little and slightly opened her eyes.

"I…didn't wake you up, did I?" Dark whispered. He remembered that he could communicate telepathically and hoped that he didn't send her what was on his mind before she woke up.

Nikki simply stretched and then sat up. "Nope. You're good." She said with a smile. "So…how are you feeling?"

_Yep, thought so. _He gave her a light nod. "Much better."

The female hedgehog returned with a relieved nod. "That's good." As she became fully awake, she looked at the ground behind her, now realizing what had happened. "Wow, I passed out?"

She then rubbed the back of her head and laughed. "He he, Sorry. Here I was trying to stay up to keep you company and I feel asleep."

"It was an eventful day." Dark stated as he raised one of his eyebrows.

"True." Nikki agreed.

"If you were tired, why didn't you sleep where you were comfortable?"

"Eh, I'm used to it." Nikki then thought for a second. "I really don't stay in one place all the time. Sometimes I stay here, sometimes I stay at headquarters…"

Noticing Dark's slightly confused look, Nikki added. "It's complicated."

Dark almost laughed at that. "Pfft, there's _a lot _about you that's complicated."

"Oh Really? Okay, well we've got all night." Nikki the repositioned herself so that she was comfortable, but still facing Dark. "What do you wanna know?"

The midnight hedgehog raised one of his eyebrow once more. "You're serious?"

"Yeah, ask away. I know as much as you do about you, so it's only fair you know more about me. Besides, I have nothing to hide."

"Alright. What happened back there near the city?"

That wasn't one of the questions that Nikki was expecting, but due to the fact that it did happen, she knew she should have. "Yeah…that's a little difficult to explain. I really don't understand it myself. I'm sorry you had to see that side of me."

"You were upset, it's normal mortal reaction."

" 'Mortal' huh? So that's what I am now?" Nikki asked him with a smirk.

"I'm just saying you shouldn't feel ashamed about what happened is all."

"Well, I'm certainly _far_ from normal."

"Pfft, join the club."

"Dark?…I only remember flashes of what happened back there across the border…I didn't…k-" Nikki swallowed that last word. She couldn't bear the thought of losing herself and then having that be the fact, she managed to find a different phrase for it and continued. "_seriously injure _anyone, did I?"

To her relief, the midnight hedgehog shook his head. "No."

The blue hedgehog let out a cleansing sigh. "Thank Mobius." She then looked at Dark. "And thank you."

The midnight hedgehog nodded.

"So, anything else?"

"The fox that helped us back at the abandoned base, who was he?" Dark asked.

"Oh, that's Tails. He's the leader of the Freedom Fighters that I work with. He's also my guardian."

"So, he's like your father?"

"Kind of, yeah."

"Hmm…and the other one, the red echidna?"

"That's Knuckles. He's on our side too."

"Okay, and that's Lara-Su's father right?"

"Yeah, good guess."

"I could see the resemblance."

The two hedgehog's talked the rest of the night away, answering each other's questions.

Though Nikki still ran missions and trained during the day, she returned to Charles' lab every night to stay with Dark.

A whole week went by in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. After Nikki had left in the afternoon to help Gyro Lynx, Crash Meerkat, Tails and Knuckles on a mission, Charles checked Dark's progress on the computer. He was surprised to find how fast the midnight hedgehog was healing. "Well, by the look of this, the muscle at your shoulder is as good as new. I can actually let you out today by these results."

The midnight hedgehog breathed a sigh of relief through his mask. "Good."

The older hedgehog laughed. "I thought you'd be happy to hear that." He then pushed a few buttons on the control panel to begin draining the tank. Dark could feel the weightlessness that he felt while he was suspended in the nanite liquid begin to fade and his feet finally touched the bottom of the tank. Charles then continued to explain. "You will still need to come back in the evenings however for the next few months. The rest of your arm still needs to heal, but you certainly don't need to stay in the tank twenty-four seven anymore."

Once the liquid completely drained from the tank, the door opened. Dark felt the cool refreshing air brush by his quills as he exited the machine. He didn't show it, but he was ecstatic to finally be out.

"Oh, and there's a towel for you to dry off and few other things for you on that table near the corner of the room. If you need anything else, just holler."

"Thank you." Dark nodded.

Charles smiled and then left the room.

The midnight hedgehog walked over to the table, he then picked up the towel and dried off his quills, being extra careful with his shoulder and exposed arm. The last thing he wanted was to end up back in that tank for a whole week again. Under the towel was a leather jacket on top of a box with an envelope slipped into the pocket. Curiously, Dark took the letter and opened it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Sorry I couldn't be here to give these to you in person._

_Inside the box is a new bionic arm that I had been working on since you have been in the healing chamber. It should act as a cast, only your arm will be free to move anyway you wish it to without further injury. Just slip it on like a sleeve and it will attach and can be removed with no trouble._

_The jacket is from my wife. Don't ask, she insisted._

_You don't owe us anything either, consider this a thank you for helping Nikki._

_-Tails_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dark gently lifted the lid of the box. Inside was the bionic arm that the letter described. Besides being made of metal, it was the same proportions of his arm before the incident at the abandoned base. It looked very intricate, it was obvious that Tails had put a lot of time and effort into the design.

'_Just like a sleeve', huh?_

The midnight hedgehog carefully picked up the artificial arm with his left hand.

_Well, here we go._

Dark carefully slipped his skeletal metal hand into the opening at the bionic arm's shoulder. He then pulled it up to his shoulder, he was actually quite surprised by how easy that really was. The midnight hedgehog then tested his hand opening and closing it into a fist. The movement looked completely natural, right down to every detail. And it was surprisingly quiet as well. Being made of metal, Dark expected to at least hear the metal sections rub against each other. But because of the way how it was designed, the arm didn't make even the slightest sound when he moved.

_Hmm, not bad._

* * *

Meanwhile; Nikki, Gyro, Crash, Tails and Knuckles were running a mission that one of Stealth's old contacts told them about. With Exus robots now trying take over everything, even some of the old crime lords in Cat Country had changed tactic to help stop Surge (well, most of them anyway.) Since he worked as a thief for hire in the past, Stealth is one of the perfect Mobians to ask what's going on inside of the remaining crime organizations. He still has friends that are loyal to him on the inside. Hearing about a raid that the Exus had begun planning on a merchant town to the north of Cat Country, Stealth contacted Tails. Tails and his group headed straight toward Cat Country to investigate and help evacuate the town if necessary.

Once in the forest area, Stealth and Tails go over the plan with the rest of the team.

"Okay, so here's what's going on." The wild cat started as he took out the map. He then pointed to a spot about five miles away from their location. "My source told me that the Exus plan on setting up a base camp here. Once completed, they plan to start by taking out this town here."

Knowing that a question will follow, Stealth continued. "This town is important to the Mobians in regions nearby. Not only do they stop here from the desert, but it's also a major trade station."

Knuckles scoffed. "A town full of thieves is more like it."

"Not all of them are like that Knux." Nicole interrupted the echidna knowing that her husband and Stealth would be offended by his remark, being ex-cons themselves.

Stealth simply ignored it and continued. "At any rate, this place is a lifeline. It's the only place nearby with a major hospital and important resources."

"Not to mention it's above an old base of Eggman's." Tails added.

"How do you even know that this isn't a trap. I mean, you've said before that this contact of yours still works with the crime lords in the area, right?"

"What's wrong Red, scared of a few baddies?" Rouge teased.

Stealth looked at Knuckles. "So, you're asking if this could be a set up?" He then quickly shook his head. "No, absolutely not. This guy is my best friend, we go way back. Plus I've gotten him out of some pretty tight spots, he's loyal. He's actually putting himself at risk leaking information to me now that I no longer work there."

"What kind of risk?" Crash asked curiously.

Stealth and Lightning looked at each other. The ocelot then made a hand motion across his neck.

Everyone else's eyes widened at Stealth's response. The young meerkat swallowed hard and stuttered a little. "R-Right, got it."

Nikki raised one of her eyebrows. "If it's that dangerous for him, why doesn't he just leave?"

"I've offered to let him come work for us since G.U.N. was disbanded. But he's in too deep right now. It would be worse if he just takes off." Stealth then brought the conversation back to the matter at hand. "Anyway, back to business. Tails, you take it from here. You're the strategist."

"Right." The twin tailed fox said with a nod. "We're going to split into two groups. Gyro, Nicole, you two are to protect the merchant town. With your nanite capabilities, you guys should be able to hold them off if they get through. Crash, you're going with them. Your job is to help everyone escape if we can't hold them off, okay?"

The young meerkat saluted. "Yes Sir!"

"Everyone else will go to the Exus base camp. The first thing we're gonna do is find out what they're up to and how many are there. If it's not too many or they're weaker models, take them out. If you see an Exus Elite…or more than one…call for back up. But be careful. Once we have the camp surrounded, I'll contact all of you and see where we go from there. So, you guys ready?"

The group looks at each other, they then nod in unison.

Tails nodded back. "Alright, lets go."

The two groups went separate ways according to the plan. Tails' group then separated into two more groups. Nikki and Stealth went around the right side of the camp, Rouge flying just over head. While Knuckles, Tails and Lightning took the left side.

"I'll fly on ahead and see if I can get a look around." Rouge whispered back to Stealth.

The wild cat nodded. "Okay, be careful."

Rouge then took off swiftly out of sight.

"Kay, now all we need to do is find a good spot to keep an eye on those metal freaks." The wild cat commented as both him and the teenage hedgehog picked up the pace.

Stealth came to the edge of the camp, but still hid behind the thick branches of the trees.

"Nikki, come here." The wild cat whispered. When Nikki quietly peeked through the branches, Stealth looked back toward the camp. "Do you see what I see out there?"

The hedgehog focused her vision toward the two robots that standing in the camp. "Just two? And they don't look tough either."

"Yeah, it's strange right? But look there, near the center of the camp."

Nikki's eyes then drifted toward the spot that Stealth had described. There in the center of the camp was a small beacon.

"What do you think that does?" Nikki asked the wild cat curiously.

"I've seen it before. It's what the Exus use to contact their bases nearby to tell them their location. It also can jam frequencies too, making it difficult to communicate using basic radios. Luckily for us, we're using Tails' communicators." The wild cat then contacted the fox. "Tails?"

"Stealth, go ahead."

"We're in position. How are things on your end?"

"So are we." The communicator buzzed. "Do you see the beacon?"

"Yes, we have a clear shot at it. There's only two guards on our side."

"Yeah, there's only two on our side too."

"It's your call, Tails. What's our next move?"

"Lets wait a little while, obviously we're too early. If we attack now, they might warn the carrier that's coming in."

"Kay, we'll wait then." The wild cat then turned back toward Nikki and then got himself comfortable and leaned back on one of the branches. "Now all we need to do is wait."

"Stealth?"

The wild cat in question looked back at the teenage hedgehog. "Yes?"

"Earlier you said that it was hard to get out of were you used to work, how did _you _get out?"

The ocelot sighed. "Let me guess…there's a friend of yours that's in that kind of situation right?"

"How-how did you-"

"Just by the way you asked. I have a natural ability to read people. You have to in order to survive _that_ line of work." The wild cat's eyes seemed to become slightly distant as he remembered his past. "I used to work for a major crime lord in Cat Country. I was naïve back then. I normally never took a job where blood money was involved, but the target was…someone I thought was worth taking out."

The young hedgehog looked slightly confused. "Who?"

"His name…was Dr. Ivo Robotnik." Seeing Nikki's slightly shocked expression, Stealth almost laughed, but kept his voice in hushed tone. "Yeah, crazy right? I could've taken that guy out back then and none of this would've ever happened." Then his look became serious. "Anyway, I took my comrades into his main fortress. I had led my team on other jobs before…but that night…something ended up going wrong. The whole place was coming down. I ended up having to make a choice…continue the mission and kill the man that I hated…or retreat and save the lives of my men…I decided it wasn't worth the risk and gave the order to retreat. My boss wasn't too thrilled that I had 'abandoned' the mission. He lost a lot of money on that deal…"

* * *

Flashback…

* * *

A furious tiger slammed his fist into the desk in front of him. "It was a simple hit! With your skills, you should've wiped the floor with that fat maniac! What the hell happened?"

Almost all of the other cats in the room froze…all except for one ocelot.

"I made the call to turn back…If you're gonna start pointing claws, start with me."

Stealth's comrades looked at him, they were shocked by the fact that he took the blame for the mission failure, knowing full well the consequences. "Stealth…"

The massive tiger stood up, towering over his desk. He then leaned forward till he was just inches away from Stealth's face. His boss growled as he spoke. "Do you have any idea how much money you cost me, boy?"

Stealth didn't seemed phased by the tiger's actions. His eyes looked determined as he countered. "_**My**_ life is worth more than that."

_It did sound like I was selfish when I said that, but that was just what I wanted my boss to think. I didn't want to put my comrades lives at stake because of my decision. If I had said that the reason I turned back was to protect them, I knew that our boss wouldn't care and they would all get blamed for it. Besides…I knew what was coming next._

The tiger glowered at the wild cat's remark. "Is that so?"

Two of the tiger's body guards suddenly grabbed Stealth forcefully by his arms. The ocelot growled as he struggled to break free from their massive grip.

The crime lord then continued. "If that's true…then evicting you should be an investment for me…Stealth Ocelot…" The tiger's eyes then gleamed maliciously at him. "…You're employment is officially terminated."

The wild cat's eyes widened when he heard those words. There was only one way someone could be 'fired' from this kind of organization.

But there was no way he was going out without a fight. As the two guards began to lift him up, Stealth brought his feet up and then used the momentum to plow both of his feet into each of the guards' faces, releasing himself from their grip.

He then ran right by his now ex-boss and then landed on the desk and smirked. "So, here's what really happened here. This place is run by an idiot that can't even handle a teenager without asking someone else to do it for him. So, I quit. And as compensation for dealing with your crap for the past five years…" Stealth then revealed a set of keys and twirled them around by the key ring in his finger tips. "I think a red hovercar is fair."

"Why you-Shoot him! Shoot him down!"

Right after taunting his former boss, Stealth quickly ducked under the desk as the barrage of bullets pelted the window behind him, shattering it into shards of glass. All of the men emptied all of their ammo into that side of the room.

Once the last bullet whizzed by, Stealth stood back up. He then knocked on the black in front of him. "Bulletproof desk. Yep, I remember lugging that damn thing in here for you two years ago, Fluffy."

He then quickly leapt into the now open window. "Thanks for the escape route too by the way. Oh, and I think I'm going into my own business for a change." He then winked at the tiger, who was now almost foaming at the mouth with irritated anger. "I hope you like competition, Mac. I would say it was nice working with you, but you know. See ya!" Stealth leapt right out of the open window and into the night.

* * *

Flashback Ended

* * *

"No way…" Nikki almost laughed but covered her mouth to stay quiet. "You actually stole the guy's hovercar?"

"Yep, then I let it sink into the ocean. They would've tracked me down if I kept it. I just took it to piss him off." Realizing he was talking to a teenager, Stealth quickly added. "But stealing's never the answer- I mean-" He then face palmed himself. "Gah, I'm such a horrible influence."

"Naw, I understand. Believe me." Nikki laughed silently.

Stealth then continued. "Well, to make a long story short, I worked on my own doing odd jobs here and there. Most of them involving stealing from other crime lords. I also had to watch my back because I ended up on Mac's hit list. It was on one of those jobs that I ran into Rouge and her team from G.U.N."

"Ah I see, so then you quit stealing and went to work for them instead?"

"Well…kind of. It wasn't easy let me tell you. Old habits are hard to break, you know."

Suddenly, Stealth's ears perked up and he moved back toward the break in the branches. "Hold on."

The Mobains peeked through the leaves, being extra careful not to make a sound. The jets from the cargo ship were loud and spewed out fire as it soared into the clearing. It groaned as the landing gear hit the ground below.

The ocelot's eyes creased forward. "Well kid…looks like the show just started."

* * *

Author's Note: Hmm, a huge cargo ship? Suspicious.

Will the Freedom Fighters be able to keep the Exus from invading the town?

And now that he's free from the healing chamber, will Dark stay with the Freedom Fighters? Or will he disappear into the night?

Find out, in the next Chapter of Sonic's Legacy.

For Update Information...Check my Profile :)


	18. Chapter 35: Freedom, Part 2

Okay, so remember when I said that this was going to be two parts? Well...scratch that. It turns out that I didn't plan for the in between events in my notes, so it's now going to be three parts. lol.

Ah well. :D

Thank you to everyone that reviewed :) It really helps me motivate to finish these chapters, especially since my life has become busy as of late.

Anyway, I won't keep you any longer.

Enjoy! :D

* * *

_**Chapter 35: Freedom; Part 2**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

The door opened to the Exus cargo ship with a loud clank as it hit the ground to form a ramp.

"That thing looks really old." Nikki whispered to the ocelot next to her.

"Ripped off is more like it." Stealth whispered back. "That cargo ship used to belong to G.U.N. Looks like they didn't bother updating it though, makes our job that much easier."

The hedgehog focused her vision toward the strange looking boxes that the Exus robots were unloading from the airship and placing at the center of the camp. They looked like large, rectangular transport crates. "What are those? I haven't seen those in any of the bases I raided."

Stealth focused his vision as well. "Hmm…don't recognize them either…could be trouble." He then turned on his communicator. "Hey Tails, you guys are closer to those crates. See anything familiar?"

"No, there's no labeling on this side."

"Not on ours either."

"The metal looks to be a black alloy of some kind-" Then something clicked with Tails and Nikki at the same time. _That metal looks just like…_

Stealth was a little worried after hearing Tails stop in middle of his transmission. "Tails, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just remembered something."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm really curious what those metal freaks have in those crates."

"Yeah, me too."

Stealth looked to the hedgehog next him. She gave a determined look and nodded. "We're gonna see if we can get a closer look."

"Be careful you two."

The wild cat and the hedgehog watched as one of the robots walked by. As soon as it was clear, the two snuck to the crate closest to them. Once they got there, Stealth noticed the ten robots that were in the area took off toward town. "Tails, they're on the move."

"I see them." The twin tailed fox took off in pursuit, Knuckles and Lightning followed, all using the trees as cover. He then told Stealth on the communicator. "You guys check out those crates. I'll warn Nicole about the bots."

"You got it." With that, Stealth turned to Nikki. "Stay close."

The two then made their way to the front of the massive crate. The ocelot laughed quietly as he looked at the seeming complicated lock. "Oh ho ho. Haven't seen a lock like this in a while."

"Think you can open it?"

"Sure I can." Stealth said with confidence.

"Yeah, that's right. Being an ex-thief, this should be easy for you."

"Oh I certainly hope not." He then took out a piece of wire out of his boot and got to work. "I love the challenge."

Realizing he was still talking to a teenager, Stealth growled and shook his head. "Again, horrible influence."

"I'm not impressionable, Stealth." Nikki said as she crossed her arms and gave him a look.

"That's true, but you might want to pay attention. You'll never know when you'll need to do this."

"I could always slice my way out if I have to."

"Pfft, that's really naïve of you. I don't even think a laser would be able to cut through this, let alone your spikes." Stealth then heard a click and gave a determined look. "Bingo, still got it."

As soon as the door opened, the two curiously peeked inside.

"Lets search this quickly so that we can catch up to the others." With that, the ocelot leapt in with no effort, Nikki followed close behind. The wild cat's eyes shined gold in the darkness, revealing the night vision he had. Nikki used her emerald Chaos Shard around her neck as a light. Both were a little surprised by what they saw.

Stealth raised one of his eyebrows. "It's empty."

"Maybe they plan on putting the stuff they take from the town in here." Nikki suggested.

"Maybe…" Then a sickening thought came to him. "Unless it's not the weaponry they're after."

Suddenly, Rouge's voice yelled from the other side of his communicator. "Stealth! The door!"

Before the message ended, the door slammed behind them with a loud clang that echoed off of the metal walls.

"No…Damn it!"

Nikki suddenly began to spin. The living chainsaw then shoved herself against the door. Sparks flew in every direction.

"Whoa, Nikki stop, stop!"

Hearing Stealth's yell, the hedgehog stopped spinning. She looked at the metal she had tried to penetrate…there wasn't a single scratch.

Outside of the crate, an Exus robot had heard the yell and pressed a button on a control panel.

Rouge, who had been watching from the branches near the clearing, flew out at incredible speed and kicked the robot away from the control panel. She then swiftly took out two daggers from slits in her boots. "Stealth, Nikki! You two okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Nikki answered. Suddenly, the sound of something charging up caught the hedgehog's and the ocelot's attention. A red laser grid appeared at the far end of the room and began to make it's way slowly toward them at a crawl.

"Um, you might wanna scratch that last comment, Love." Stealth said as Nikki and himself backed up against the door.

"Hold on!" Rouge yelled as she fended off the robot, who had recovered and came after her. "I'll contact Tails, he'll get you out!"

"Right now would be good!" The wild cat yelled back.

"Stealth, it doesn't look like it's moving."

"Oh it's moving alright…just very slowly." Stealth suddenly took off one of his gloves.

Nikki gave him a confusing look. "Um, what are you doing?"

The wild cat then threw his glove at the laser grid. As soon as past through the laser, it turned into metal and then hit the floor of the crate with a loud clank.

Nikki and Stealth looked at each other. This wasn't a cargo crate…it was roboticizor…A portable roboticizor!

"Okay…don't panic." The wild cat's voice sounded confident, but inside he was concerned about this situation. How on Mobius are they gonna get out of this one?

Meanwhile; Tails, Knuckles and Lightning intercepted the group of robots heading toward town. The Freedom Fighters used the trees to their advantage, working together as a team.

Suddenly, the fox's communicator buzzed. "Tails!"

"Rouge, what's wrong?" Tails asked as he dodged an attack effortlessly.

"It's Stealth and Nikki! You need to get back here, Now!"

The fox's eyes widened for a second. "On my way." He then began to spin his namesakes spoke to Knuckles on his communicator as he took off at blinding speed. "Nikki and Stealth are in trouble. Hold these guys off and I'll be right back."

"On it." Knuckles answered as he slammed one of the robots into the ground.

As soon as Tails got into the clearing, he saw Rouge fighting the robot in front of the crate. Without slowing down, the flying fox spun and then hit the robot dead on. He then landed and then spun back for another go, slamming the robot into a nearby tree.

The bat looked to Tails. "I got your back, get Nikki and Stealth out of there!"

The fox then made it to the front of the crate. "Nikki, Stealth, can you guys hear me?"

Tails could hear Nikki's voice, but it was muffled as it tried to travel through the thick metal. "Tails?"

"Hold on!" Tails then took out his pen laser and tried to cut through the metal to open the door. "Damn, the laser's not working!"

"Told you." Stealth voiced when heard Tails' curse.

Nikki gave him a look.

The laser grid was almost to the halfway point in the crate.

"Tails, it's a roboticizor!"

The fox's sapphire eyes widened. He then realized that getting them out wasn't the priority here. If he was going to get them out alive, Tails would have to stop the machine first.

"I'm gonna try and disable it!" The fox shouted as he pulled up on the control panel cover and then tried to break the release code. The twin tailed fox worked fast. He had done this before with one of Robotnik's old roboticizors, but this design was slightly different. Not only that, it was a long code sequence that had to be typed in and re-configured, which took time…and time wasn't what he had right now.

The laser grid was drawing in closer now, Nikki and Stealth pressed their backs against the wall and closed their eyes. They could feel the heat radiating from the laser grid it came within two inches from their faces.

Suddenly, the grid stopped moving and then disappeared. When Nikki and Stealth realized they were saved, both Mobians let out a cleansing sigh and then allowed themselves to slide to the bottom of the crate, their backs still against the wall as they rested for a minute.

"That…was _way_ too close." Nikki said in between breaths.

"Yeah…I think I'm…over my midlife crisis now."

Nikki then gave the wild cat a confusing look. "Really?"

Stealth then began to laugh. "Nah, not by a long shot."

The two of them laughed loudly.

Hearing this from the other side, Rouge interrupted. "Are you kidding me? You're laughing?"

"I take it you guys are okay then?" Tails shouted for them to hear, trying not to laugh himself from Rouge's reaction.

"Yeah…we're good!" Nikki answered as she tried to stop laughing. She then noticed Stealth get up and walk over toward the back of the crate.

The wild cat stopped when he got to his glove that he had thrown at the laser grid. He picked it up and looked at the metal glove.

"Sorry about your glove."

The wild cat looked back at Nikki and simply shrugged. "It's no big deal, I could always get another one. However, this could still be useful."

Both of their ears perked up as they heard the tumbler to the lock. As soon as the door opened, Nikki wasted no time in getting out and embracing Tails.

Embracing her back, the fox lightly whispered. "Thank Mobius you're safe."

Stealth then climbed out of the crate, met by Rouge's embrace. "So, you're both okay?"

"Yep, the only thing that was roboticized was my glove. Which reminds me, Tails?"

As the fox brought his attention back toward Stealth, the wild cat handed him the metal glove. "I think you and Professor Charles might wanna take a look at this."

Tails gently took the metal glove from Stealth. He then began to analyze it. "It's light, that's surprising. Usually roboticized material is much heavier than this."

The fox was further surprised when he applied just a little pressure, the black metal glove bent and then returned to it's original state. "It's flexible too, almost like rubber but it's metal…very strange."

Suddenly, a cloud of dust came up and caused Tails, Rouge and Stealth to cough. "What on Mobius?"

The blue hedgehog was spinning and digging her way under the crate next to the one she had been held in moments ago.

Confused by her actions, Tails yelled for her to hear. "Nikki! *cough* What are you doing?"

The dust cleared a little and they could see the young hedgehog's plan. She had dug a trench right next to the machine, running right under the other identical machine just a few feet away. Nikki was now pushing the opposite end of the machine. "We have to make sure those creeps don't use this on those Mobians down there!"

Catching on to her plan, Tails, Rouge and Stealth run over and help her try and push the metal crate over. But no matter how hard they tried, the massive crate just wouldn't budge.

"Why, isn't it moving?"

As Tails pushed on his corner of the machine, something caught his eye and he couldn't help but laugh. "You've gotta be kidding me? Guys, stop, stop, stop."

After hearing Tails, they all stopped trying to push the crate. The fox then reached down and pulled out a long stake that had been bolted into the ground, preventing the crate from tipping over.

Seeing this, Stealth and Nikki looked down and saw the same thing at their feet. They both pulled out their stakes and the massive machine began to tip toward it's twin. A massive groan rang out as the machine's weight was distributed to weak points in it's structure.

"We better go, Now!"

On Tails' command, the group ran back toward the forest. The large crate came tumbling over onto the one next to it and a massive explosion quickly followed.

Back at where Lightning and Knuckles were holding off the robots, the loud boom from the explosion was heard. The five robots that were left took off back toward their base camp.

"What was that?" Lightning asked as his ears perked in the direction of the blast.

Knuckles instantly turned on his communicator. "Tails, you guys alright over there?"

Hearing his communicator, Tails picked himself up off the floor. A thick layer of dust was around him and he coughed as he answered. " *cough* I'm fine. *cough* Nikki? Rouge? *cough* Stealth? Can you hear me?"

A blue hedgehog sneezed a few feet away from him. "AH CHOO! *cough* ha ha, Yeah…I hear ya."

"I'm alright." Rouge answered as she picked herself up and brushed herself off. " *cough* Where's Stealth?"

The three Mobians called out to him. "Stealth!"

" *cough-cough* How in the hell did I end up up here?"

The voice came from one of the trees above. There was the wild cat, dangling upside down with his foot caught in the branches.

Rouge couldn't help but laugh at her husband's predicament, but she was also relieved that he was alright. "Hun, (giggle) do you need a hand?"

"No Dear, I'm fine." The wild cat said as he rolled his eyes. He then quickly followed with a light smirk. He swung up and grabbed the branch that his foot was caught in. "I just need to-loosen this branch and-"

The branches gave way and released his foot. As he fell back, Stealth flipped and landed gracefully on the ground below.

"Tails!" Gyro's voice suddenly yelled on the communicator, "We have a problem! Exus came in from the other side!"

"What?" Tails couldn't help but yell when he heard that.

"Must've called for backup at some point." Stealth deduced.

"We'll be right there." Right after Tails said that into his communicator, the group ran back toward town.

Knuckles' voice suddenly came over the communicator. "We're on our way too. Tails, your team better be careful. Our robot's heard whatever you guys did back at camp and rushed over there."

"No worries, we'll go around." The fox answered.

Suddenly, Nikki took off toward the town at blinding speed, leaving the rest of the group on the dust.

Meanwhile, Gyro's group was keeping the Exus at bay. They were doing a good job considering it was surprise attack. Nicole and Gyro made sure to not to let any of the Exus pass them. One of the Exus however, wasn't too keen on playing this game of keep away. The robot threw a grenade at Gyro, who was preoccupied with another Exus robot and just barely caught sight of it. It was right in front of his face and he had no time to react.

Suddenly, a blinding blue flash dashed right in between him and the grenade. In one fluid motion that would take barely a few seconds when slowed down, the hedgehog grabbed the grenade and then threw it back at the attacker. The grenade exploded on impact with the robot. The energy from the blast blew Gyro back and he dug his foot claws into the ground, his hat took off into the wind.

Nikki didn't miss a beat and then went for another robot that was coming in fast. She grabbed onto it and kicked both feet into it's chest, kicking it back several feet. She then spun and landed gracefully, readying herself for the next attack.

Gyro looked to his comrade and gave her a smile. "Thanks."

Nikki smiled back and was about to say something, when they both heard something from behind the group of robots. The two freedom fighters prepared themselves.

The fast moving robot sped from behind the group of Exus Beasts right into the clearing. The teenage Mobians recognized this kind of Exus breed and Gyro didn't hesitate in relaying the message to the others. "We got Terrors."

Stealth, who had just arrived with Tails and Rouge into the city, rolled his eyes. "Of course we do."

"Keep your heads kids." Knuckles said over the communicator while making his way back to town with Lightning Lynx.

"Stick to the plan, don't let them pass you. We're on our way" Tails ordered.

"Um, I don't know if you've noticed, but nothing _ever_ goes according to plan." Stealth stated as he raised one of his eyebrows.

Suddenly, an Exus Carrier Colossus arm plowed right in their path. Stealth and Tails skidded to a stop while Rouge managed to swerve to avoid the massive metal hand, it was close call though. "Yikes!"

Stealth's eyes narrowed. "See what I mean?"

Tails growled under his breath. "Shit."

The Exus Terror instantly went straight for Nikki, extending it's long arm and fingertips to grab her. But Nikki flipped back ward and managed to dodge it. Knowing that the robot wouldn't stop there, Nikki swiftly righted herself and then dashed toward it, forcing the robot's whip like arm to swing back toward it. The Exus Terror suddenly sent out a pulse of energy from it's eyes and hit Nikki's eyes dead on. "Gah! Shit!"

Seeing this and knowing what the robot would do next, Gyro swiftly stepped in. "No you don't!" He then swiftly activated his nanites and slashed right across the Terror's face, slicing one of it's eye lights.

The robot roared loudly and threw it's head back.

Nikki shook her head back and forth and blinked her eyes a few times, making sure that her vision wasn't clouded. She breathed a sigh of relief and then quickly dashed forward to pick up where she left off.

The blue blur dashed right by Gyro and smiled. "Thanks." She then continued right by and plowed right into the Exus Terror. The two freedom fighters kept going, not even giving the Exus Terror a chance to make a move.

Thinking that the two freedom fighters were distracted, one of the Exus Beasts attempted to bolt across the border.

"Nikki!" Gyro called out when he realized that one of them got through.

"Shit." To deliberately piss off the Exus Terror, Nikki kicked it in the head and used it as a spring board to launch herself toward the invading Exus Beast. The Exus Terror reacted and then whipped it's arm around Gyro toward the hedgehog. Anticipating this response, Nikki dashed right over the Exus Beast, causing the Exus Terror's hand to miss her entirely and grab the robot by mistake. The Exus Beast broke apart in the Terror's crushing grip.

Watching from behind the border, the other Exus Beasts backed up and decided to wait for another chance to cross.

Back at the other end of town, Rouge and Stealth are trying to take out the Exus Carrier Colossus while Tails tried to find the control panel to disable the massive robot and prevent it from releasing more robots from the hanger in it's back. Nichole had just arrived from her side of the town to help. She used her nanites to try and keep the monstrous robot from advancing any further into the city.

"Did you find it yet?" Stealth shouted as he dodged one of the robot's massive house sized palms

"No! Not Yet!" _They always have the control panel in a different spot and they're always unmarked…Just once, I would like this to be easy. Is that too much to ask?_

One of the robots guarding the Colossus' back fired at Tails, but the swift moving fox dodged the attack and flew right past it. Realizing the guards had given away the massive robot's weak spot, Tails smirked. _Bingo._

The flying fox planted one foot on one of the radio control spires on the robot's back and then pushed himself off, sending himself toward the robot guards. As one of them tried to slice him with their claws, Tails dodged and skidded to a stop right behind it. He then flicked both of his namesakes, the fur stiffened and he swiped the guard's leg, causing it collapse and fall to the side.

Back on the other side of town, Nikki and Gyro were working together, keeping pace with the Exus Terror as it tried to advance forward. The two freedom fighters kept glancing out the corner of their eyes at the mob of Exus Beasts that stood roaring at the edge of the town's border. Finally, two of them had enough and the mechanical creatures dashed over the border.

"Not again." Gyro growled.

"Come on." Nikki was starting to get frustrated with this. The Exus Terror was hard enough to hold back with just the two of them, but they couldn't hold back the unpredictable robot and the mob of Exus Beasts on their own, they needed back up.

At that moment, Knuckles and Lightning arrived and attacked the other robots, keeping them from crossing into the city and allowing Nikki and Gyro to only focus on the Exus Terror. Now knowing that Knuckles and Lightning had the Exus Beasts under control, the two teenage freedom fighters picked up the pace of their attacks.

Tails had just finished taking out the guards and then started tearing at the Colossus' outer casing to get to the sensitive wiring underneath. Once the twin tailed fox cut the wires the Exus Colossus began to shut down and sway back and forth, fighting to stay standing. As the massive robot dipped to the left, Tails lost his footing and held on as the forceful move threatened to send him flying. "Whoa!"

There was only one problem…the Colossus was about to hit the building the innocent bystanders were hiding in for shelter.

Seeing this, Stealth rushed forward and extended his claws. He then sliced at the metal as it buckled just above the ankle of the massive robot's front foot. Like a huge tree, the colossal mountain of metal leaned away from the building and toppled over with loud crash.

Gyro's ear flicked and drew his attention toward the earth shattering sound, but he quickly returned his attention back to his opponent. But it wasn't quick enough.

"Gyro!" Nikki couldn't help but yell when she suddenly saw her friend thrown like a rag doll into the nearest building. She angrily turned back to the Exus Terror, her emerald eyes blazing. "You're gonna pay for that!"

She barely finished her sentence before she charged in and with her spikes extended, began to slash at the robot.

Inside the house that he plowed into, Gyro shook his head back and forth to right himself. "Ugh." He then looked up and saw a cat family huddled in the corner, looking at him fearfully. The lynx quickly pushed himself from the wall and ran toward the hole in the wall he made. "Sorry."

Gyro picked up the pace and leapt into the air as he caught up to his comrade. He then landed behind the Exus Terror and attacked, cornering it and preventing it from counter attacking or escaping.

Realizing the robot was weakening, Nikki ducked down and then kicked the Exus Terror into the air. Gyro leapt up and used his nanites to grab the robot and pull it back down toward the ground. Nikki leapt up and when she was along side Gyro, the two dove down toward the Exus Terror and dealt the finishing blow, plowing the robot into the ground. The robot's lights dimmed and it shut down.

"Ha ha! We did it!" Nikki cheered as her and Gyro high-fived.

"First time taking out a Terror." Gyro commented.

"Good teamwork you two." Knuckles congratulated as he tossed a disabled Exus Beast to the side.

"Thanks." Nikki said with a smile.

Gyro suddenly felt a tug on his glove.

"Um, Gyro…"

The lynx looked down at Crash. "You dropped you're hat."

Gyro gently took his hat from the kid and was about to put it on when he gave him a smile. "Ah you keep it, kiddo." The lynx then placed the brown hat on Crash's head. "Who knows, it might bring you luck." Gyro gave him a wink.

Crash had no idea what Gyro had meant when he winked at him. He had no idea that Gyro was actually a nanite machine, no one had ever told the kid. But, his confused look quickly subsided and he smiled. "Wow, thanks."

* * *

After everything was cleaned up and settled in Cat Country, Tails' team decided it would be a good idea to stay in New Albion for the night since it was a short flight away from Cat Country as opposed to flying halfway around Mobius to get back to base.

Nikki walked into her great-uncle's lab and her eyes widened at what she saw. She was expecting Dark to still be in the healing tank, but the black hedgehog wasn't there and was no where to be seen in the lab.

_Did he really just leave? Well…it's not like he's obligated to stay here. But still…_

The blue hedgehog walked back out into Charles' living room, she almost past by a figure that she recognized. There, on the couch sound asleep…was Dark.

Nikki's eyes widened for a second, then smiled.

* * *

Stealth thought that it would be a good idea to let an old friend of his look at his roboticized glove, who ironically enough happened to live in New Albion. Since Tails had to contact Cream and tell her they would be staying in New Albion, Gyro offered to take the metal there, since Stealth's friend was now a college professor at the university he also worked at. Also curious about the strange metal, Nikki came along. She figured that she should let Dark rest for the time being.

"So, who is this guy that we're going to see? He's a professor here, but he also used to work with Stealth?"

"That's right." Gyro answered her as they climbed the stairs to the university. "He was a bio-chemist and had gotten himself into some pretty bad situations with researching in Cat Country. The criteria he experimented with weren't as you would call…orthodox."

"Huh?" Nikki thought curiously.

"But he's changed a lot since then. Now he's helping with advances in medicine and bio-robotics. If anyone can tell us what type of material this roboticized glove is made of, it's him." Gyro stopped at a door in the hall. "Well, here we are."

The lynx opened the door and peeked in. "Professor Marcus? Are you in?"

"Ah Gyro, my boy. Yes, yes come in."

Once they walked in, Nikki could see who it was. Marcus was an echidna, which she kind of thought was odd since he was said to be from Cat Country. His fur was rust colored and matched his one eye that wasn't covered by a dark leather eye patch.

"How was the mission? Did everything go okay?" The old echinda asked.

Nikki wasn't too sure what to make of Marcus. He seemed friendly, but there was still something that made her feel like something was off about the old man. But Gyro said that he did _**used **_to be a criminal, so she assumed that must've been what made her feel so on edge.

"Yeah, everyone's fine. We had a few close calls, but nothing worse for ware." Gyro answered.

The old echidna breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good." He then noticed Nikki standing next to Gyro. "Oh, hello. I do apologize, I didn't see you there." He then pointed to the eye patch to prove his point. "Blind spot."

"Marcus, this is Nikki. Sonic's daughter." Gyro introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Marcus." Nikki said with a nod.

"Truly an honor, my dear." The old echidna gave a light bow.

"We need you to look at something for us."

Marcus brought his attention back to the teenage lynx. "Certainly, what is it?"

Gyro showed the roboticized glove to Marcus, who in turn gave a surprising look to the object. "My word…This is remarkable. May I?"

The lynx handed the metal glove to Marcus. The old echidna looked it over, analyzing every detail. "Metal polymers…extremely flexible…" His look suddenly turned shocked when he realized who it belonged to. "This is Stealth's glove." He then looked to the two teenagers. "Where did you get this?"

"It was from a roboticizor, one of the new ones." Nikki answered.

"Like I said, no one was hurt. Stealth's fine." Gyro reassured reading Marcus' expression. "He just threw one of his gloves at it to see if it was a roboticizor he was dealing with."

"Ah, okay good. You scared me for a moment there." Marcus breathed. He then quickly continued analyzing the metal.

Nikki couldn't help feel a slight shiver down her spine. She whispered to her comrade. "Gyro, can I talk to for a second?"

"Sure." Gyro then turned to Marcus. "Um, can you give us a sec?"

The old echidna just barely glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, no problem Lad." He then continued studying the strange metal.

Gyro led Nikki outside of the room. "What is it?"

"I don't know about this. Are you sure this guy is alright?" Nikki whispered hoping that the said 'guy' wouldn't be listening in.

"I know he seems a little…um what's the word."

"Off his rocker."

"Nikki."

"What? That's the vibe I'm getting."

"Okay, so he is a bit strange. But he knows what he's talking about."

"I keep trying to tell myself that, but…I don't know. It feels like there's an alarm going off in my head or something."

"A what? Okay look, I work with this guy on a daily basis. I can personally tell you that even though he's a bit…unique…his heart is in the right place, honest."

Nikki still wasn't sure about the whole thing. She had really good instincts when it came to other's intentions, this was the first time she felt like this. Even when fighting against Exus robots, she had never had the feeling that she wanted to get out of a room as fast as she wanted to get out of that lab. However, she did trust Gyro. And if he said this guy was legit…then she could fight off her instincts and at least try not to look like she was uncomfortable.

She sighed and shrugged as she gave in. "Okay…if you say he's okay Gyro. Then…he's alright with me."

Gyro smiled and gave her nod. "Alright, ready to go back in?"

Nikki returned his nod with one of her own. "Yep."

Gyro spoke as him and Nikki walked back into the lab. "Okay, we're back. Did you figure anything out?"

"Oh did I." Nikki was surprised by how fast the professor had actually figured out what it was. The older echidna then turned on one of his projectors and placed the glove under the microscope that it was connected to. "Alright now, see this is the glove on the screen."

"Yes." Gyro nodded.

Nikki was thinking to herself. _Um yeah. We already knew it was glove, old man._

Gyro barely saw Nikki roll her eyes. She noticed he was watching and then gave him an apologetic shrug followed by a mouthed 'sorry'. _What the heck is wrong with me?_

The old echidna continued. "Now, if you look closer, you can see that the original structure of the glove is still intact. However, the material that it made from is what had changed. The cotton fibers were transmuted into the metal polymers that we see here."

Marcus then turned off the projector and then picked up the glove. "There's something else too…" He then stretched the glove out, showing it's flexibility. "The reason why this so flexible is because of the way it was roboticized. Instead of roboticizing the object as a whole, this machine roboticized it on a molecular level, changing the nature of the object entirely. Now, watch this."

The echidna took the glove and then hit it against the side of the countertop. The roboticized glove didn't flex or bend away this time, it stiffened and chipped a small piece of the marble counter. "Despite it's flexible capabilities, the object can also stiffen out and defend itself without the need of artificial intelligence."

"So, you're saying it thinks on it's own?" Nikki asked.

"I'm saying if a living being was roboticized along with this glove and was attacked for example, the glove would react and defend without being told to do so by thought."

Gyro began to ponder this new development out loud. "Well, that explains why the Exus can extend their arms out so easily, but are still capable of deflecting attacks. The rubber like metal doesn't weaken even when it stretches out. And now it has a natural defense system as well…this does prove more challenging."

"Indeed it does." Marcus agreed. "I might be able to find weaknesses in it's composition. Mind if I keep it here for a while?"

"I don't mind. I'm sure Stealth can find a replacement, I think he won't wish to use it." Gyro answered. "Well we better go if you're going to get started."

"Of course, thank you both for stopping by. I'll contact you when I find something."

"Thanks." Gyro nodded. He then lead Nikki out of the room and slowly closed the door behind him.

* * *

With this new information, Gyro decided to go with Nikki to her grandparents house to better explain what Marcus had found out. On the way, the two teenagers talked about the experience.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Gyro. But that guy really creeps me out." Nikki said as she placed her hands behind her head.

Gyro shrugged "I guess I'm used it. Stealth did work with some strange Mobians. Not to mention my dad's side of the family is a little out there."

"It's not so much the way how he acted that bugged me. I can't…really explain it. I wish I could."

"Well, describe it to me. Maybe we could figure it out together." Gyro was worried for Nikki, she was his best friend after all. If she was still feeling uncomfortable, he wanted to know how he could help her.

"Well…like I said before, it's like an alarm that someone just turned on as soon as I walked in and…" The hedgehog suddenly shook her head back and forth. "Never mind, it's probably nothing."

The lynx sighed. "Alright, but if you wanna talk later, I'm all ears."

The two teenagers looked at each other and began to laugh.

* * *

Author's Note: Hmm... a lot going on in this chapter.

So far, we know that Dark hasn't taken off...yet. And now we know what these Exus robots are made of...which is a little more disturbing that even myself would like to think about.

In part 3, Gyro tells Tails about Marcus' findings. And it seems that Tails has some plans of his own that he wants to set into motion. Also, a certain black and gold hedgehog comes up with a plan for a certain hedgehog...oh boy. O_o

For Update Information, Check my profile :D


	19. Chapter 36: Freedom, Part 3

Here it is, the final part to the tri-chapters. :D

This one might be a bit interesting. XD

Thank you to all of those that reviewed. :D

So, I won't keep you waiting any longer.

Enjoy! :D

* * *

_**Chapter 36: Freedom; Part 3**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

As the midnight hedgehog was sound asleep, a familiar voice whispered to him and he felt something touch his shoulder. "Dark? Hey Dark, wake up."

Dark simply groaned and buried his face further into the pillow. Nikki laughed a little. "Come on, get up."

"What time is it?" The midnight hedgehog mumbled.

"About five thirty."

"What the hell? Why?" _I just fell asleep, what the hell is wrong with this girl?_

"There's a storm outside."

"So?"

"So…wanna dodge lightning with me?"

Dark opened his eyes a little and looked at Nikki's emerald irises. He then stretched and turned around facing the couch. "No."

"Oh come on, I know you want to."

Dark's muffled voice answered. "Nope."

Nikki then leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Ah, what's the matter? Afraid of getting wet?"

The midnight hedgehog gave her a 'you've got to be kidding me' look. Nikki's hand barely touched Dark's chest fur and he gave a little chuckle, but then flipped back over facing the couch again.

Surprised by this response, Nikki laughed. "What was that?"

"Nothing." Dark quickly responded.

Nikki then gave him a smirk. "Oh nothing huh? You know what I think…I think you're…"

Suddenly, Nikki started tickling him. Dark couldn't help himself and busted into laughter. "Nikki! No! Stop! I-I can't HAHAHAHA!"

The midnight hedgehog was thrashing about so much that couch suddenly tipped over, throwing both hedgehogs right off of it. "WHOA!"

Both hedgehogs froze and looked at the couch, they then looked at each other and blinked. Suddenly both of them started laughing again.

Hearing the crash from the next room, Charles and Tails peeked around the corner into the living room. The two hedgehogs noticed that they were being watched and instantly stopped laughing.

"Umm…is everything okay?" Tails asked as he raised one of his eyebrows.

"Yeah-yeah, everything's fine." Nikki said quickly, blushing a little.

The midnight hedgehog next to her caught sight of her blush. "So…storm chasing right?"

"Right, lets go." The two hedgehogs suddenly took off out the door. "Be back later!"

Tails looked to Charles. "Should we be worried that she just took off with someone we barely know and that we just found them with the couch tipped over?"

Charles began to chuckle at Tails' question. "I don't know, should we?"

Suddenly, a muffled sound of someone on the communicator rang out through the background. "Hello?…Tails?…Tails, are you there?"

"I'm sure they're fine." Charles answered. "You better get back to that phone call."

"Right." Tails nodded and then sat back down at the desk and answered the communicator. "Hello? Stealth?"

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry about the hour, there's only a small time frame that the line is secure over here."

"No, it's fine."

"So what did Marcus find out?"

"Well, from what Gyro explained to me, the way the Exus roboticizing process works is different from Eggman's. It's a little too much to explain before the line disconnects again. I'll send you the data as soon as I compose it."

"Perfect, that'll work better for me actually. It's easier for me to read it than to listen to you guys talk, no offense."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"So, you said you wanted to ask me something before the line went out. What was it?"

"Oh, that's right. You know my workshop in the Mystic Ruins?"

"You're old one…yeah, what about it?"

"Well, I was wondering…I need to get more supplies, they're not the kind that I could get from any salvage yard either. I have to go back there and retrieve some of my old equipment."

Stealth sighed on the other line. "I don't know Tails. That's pretty risky. Remember the last time you tried to pull that off?"

"Yeah, but you bailed me out."

"That's right I did. But still, I'm pretty sure you're not gonna find a lot of the equipment you might be looking for. The place has been cleaned out by raiders and thugs in the area. Which is pretty stupid on their part anyway, much of that area is still radioactive territory."

"I know it's been cleaned out, but I'm sure there's something there that I can still use. I can't give you all the details, someone could be listening in in the next few minutes."

"Ah, okay. I get it. I'll tell you what, let me get a hold of my old bud Benny Fisher. He still works in the underground, he could give me some information. If there is trouble in that area, I wanna know before we try anything."

"Thanks Stealth."

"No problem-Oh, there's the timer. Gotta go, take care."

"You too." Tails swiftly hung up the communicator, knowing if he didn't fast enough, Stealth's location would be compromised.

The twin tailed fox then looked down at the desk in front of him and sighed. _I just hope I can handle it…this time._

* * *

After storm chasing for an hour, the two hedgehogs took a break in a clearing. They laid down on the semi-dried grass, looking up at the sky. The sky itself was thick with smog as usual, but it was a still a fairly decent spot to rest for a bit.

"Man that was awesome." Nikki laughed. "What a rush."

"You've done storm chasing before though."

"Yeah, but this was the first time I actually did it with someone else. There's no way the others would be able to even try dodging lightning."

Dark chuckled.

Nikki could tell what image came to the midnight hedgehog's mind and raised one of her eyebrows. "Dark."

"What, you said it."

"That's true, I should've expected that."

They both laughed a little. Suddenly, a flicker of light in the sky caught Nikki's eye. The blue hedgehog's eyes widened, she seemed almost entranced by what she was witnessing. "Whoa."

Seeing his comrade's expression, Dark looked in the same direction. There, in the night sky, was a panel of stars, peaking through a break in the polluted cloud cover. The two hedgehog's sat up and stared at the stars, their light reflecting in their eyes as they took in the beautiful sight.

"What are they?" Dark whispered, still entranced by the strange lights.

"They're stars." Nikki answered. "I almost forgot how beautiful they were."

"They look familiar…I don't remember why though."

"The last time I saw them I was five years old. My mother and I used to watch the stars all the time."

Dark caught sight of Nikki's ears lowering a little. "You miss her?"

Nikki sighed. "Yeah…I do."

"You think about her a lot." Noticing Nikki glancing out of the corner of her eye and raising one of her eyebrows, he quickly followed. "Mind reader, remember? Can't help it sometimes."

"Well, that explains why you know about her then." She stated returning her gaze to the stars above before they disappeared behind the cover of smog. "And there they go."

Dark laid back down on the grass and placed his hands behind his head.

Nikki took her arms and wrapped them around her legs. She then spoke softly. "You know…you're more than welcome to stay with us…the Freedom Fighters I mean. We have plenty of room."

The midnight hedgehog shrugged. "I do still have to go back to lab every night. Should be heading back soon actually."

"So that's why you didn't leave when you got out."

"I'll think about your offer though."

_I hope you stay. _Nikki thought as she glanced back at the sky.

* * *

A few days later, things seemed to slow down for a change. The Exus seemed to be taking a break from their agenda and the Freedom Fighters enjoyed the free time they now had on their hands.

Back at the Freedom Fighters' base, Tails was working on one of his latest projects. Right now, it looked like just a bunch of random metal and wires, but he obviously had a plan for it of some sort.

A familiar pair of hedgehogs walked in from the top of the hanger.

"Sonica and Dark are back." Seth announced.

"I can see that, thank you Seth." Tails said not taking his eyes off of his experiment.

"Hey Tails, so whatcha workin' on?" Nikki asked as she looked over her god father's shoulder.

"Oh, it's nothing really. Just a few parts I'm fixing up." The twin tailed fox looked to the female hedgehog behind him. "So, what were you two up to? Didn't run into any trouble I take it."

"Nope." Nikki said as she shifted her weight to one foot. "We just went for a run. It's actually boring without any robots around. Kinda weird."

Dark raised one of his eyebrows. "Just a run? From what I remember, we were racing."

The blue hedgehog looked at the ceiling. "Really? We were? I wasn't paying attention."

"It was your idea." The midnight hedgehog responded lightly.

"Don't know what you're talking about." Nikki said as she fixed one of her gloves.

The midnight hedgehog smirked. "Ah I get it, you're acting like this because I beat you."

"I don't remember that."

Dark chuckled. "Yes I did."

"Teleporting is cheating." Nikki said in a cheerful tone and fluttered eyelashes at him in a sarcastic manner.

"Oh, and breaking the laws of physics isn't?" The midnight hedgehog asked with a smirk.

"Running at the speed of light isn't breaking anything."

"Neither is teleporting."

"Oh boy." Tails muttered as he shook his head at the teenagers' friendly argument.

"Well, I'm gonna go say hi to Cream and Trinity and then turn in. Good night guys."

"Good night." Dark said still leaning against the wall. As soon as Nikki left the room and closed the door, Dark walked over to Tails and whispered. "So, how's it coming along?"

Tails sighed. "Smoothly." He then took out what he was really working on. It was some kind of slender metal object. "Now I just have to make the second one to finish the pair."

"Good. You said her birthday was tomorrow right?" The midnight hedgehog asked still keeping his voice low.

"Yes. Don't worry, I'll have them done before then. Good luck getting her to co-operate though."

Reading Dark's slightly confused look, Tails continued. "Lets just say there's a reason why she doesn't celebrate it. Which is why we haven't let the others in on when her birthday is."

"But Cream and Knuckles know too right?"

"Yeah."

"So, why tell me?"

Tails thought about that question for a second. "Well, one, this-" The fox pointed to the strange contraption on the table. "-was your idea. Two, I know you can keep a secret. And three…I think you're the best thing that's happened to her since she joined us here."

The midnight hedgehog gave him a weird look. He then looked at the door that Nikki had left through and then looked back at the fox. He then muttered. "Really?"

"Yeah, I thought that would be your response. Fine, don't take my word for it."

Suddenly a beeping sound came from Dark's wrist and he looked at the watch like object on his wrist. He sighed annoyingly at the thing. "Damn, I gotta go. I'll back in the morning."

With that, the midnight hedgehog ran up the stairs and out the door.

* * *

Around noon the next day, Nikki was sleeping in her room in her hammock when someone opened her door. She was a light sleeper, but she still didn't feel like getting up.

The midnight hedgehog walked in. "Hey Nikki. Time to get up."

Nikki glanced over her shoulder, she then repositioned herself and got more comfortable. "Hmm, no thanks. I'm good."

Dark then laughed a little and said to himself. "Too easy."

He then walked over and with one finger flipped the hammock over and Nikki hit the ground with a thud. "Whoa! Omph!"

Dark raised one of his eyebrows and chuckled. "Get up."

Nikki blew the hair out of her face and then grabbed the covers that hung halfway on the hammock and then curled up on the floor. She smiled with amusement as she closed her eyes. "Nope."

The midnight hedgehog shrugged. "Alright, you leave me no choice."

He then grabbed her legs to drag her downstairs.

Nikki started laughing a little. "Dark! Let go!"

"And what are you gonna do? I got you where I want you."

She then raised one of her eyebrows. "I could always give you a haircut."

Dark scoffed. "Pfft, yeah right."

Nikki then smirked and crossed her arms, both spikes extended from her arms.

Seeing this, Dark raised one of his eyebrows and let her go. "Well, I got what I wanted. You're up."

"Uh huh, yeah likely excuse." Nikki doubted as she picked herself up off of the floor and dusted herself off. She then sighed loudly and crossed her arms. "So, what's up?"

Dark raised one of his eyebrows, giving Nikki a slightly confused look. "You really don't remember?"

Nikki shrugged.

"It's your birthday."

_Of course I remember, I was trying to forget it. _"Oh, wow. That is pretty bad, I forgot my own birthday."

Dark's eyebrows raised a little. He did hear what Nikki was thinking, but he decided not to pursue that due to the fact that Nikki probably wouldn't tell him why anyway. If he wanted to find that out, he'd just have to ask someone else. Instead, he crossed his arms and kept his confused expression. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"How could you forget your own birthday?"

"Well, I've been busy lately. Besides, I don't like making a big deal out of it." Which wasn't a lie, the fact was she hadn't celebrated her birthday in the traditional way since before the day of Surge's first raid.

The midnight hedgehog gave her a serious look. "You should."

"Hmm?" Nikki didn't expect this from him at all and it did surprise her for a second, but she quickly recovered from it. "Whatever I decide to do for my birthday is my business. If you want to do something big for yours, that's your decision."

After hearing her comment, Dark's confused look returned. "I don't have a birthday."

Nikki smiled. "Sure you do. I'm counting the day I found you as your birthday…"

She then thought for a second. "…That is, until we find out what it really is."

"So, you're saying that I'm less than a year old?"

"Yeah, you do act older than that though."

Dark rolled his eyes. "Pfft, obviously."

Nikki nodded. "Yeah, I'd say around two."

The midnight hedgehog's eyes widened at Nikki's remark. He then quickly regained his composure and crossed his arms. "Really? And how old are you now, four?"

"Ha ha, hilarious." Nikki said with sarcasm raising one of her eyebrows. "I'm fourteen."

Dark nodded. "Mmm, hmm…that explains a lot."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The midnight hedgehog chuckled. "Nothing, nothing." He then looked at her and whispered. "Look, just humor me. Just for a few hours, alright?"

Nikki was surprised by this. She blinked a few times, trying to process what Dark could be planning. Her gaze slowly met the floor. "Dark…don't get me wrong. I appreciate what you're doing, and don't think it's you 'cause it's not. It's just…I can't do this…not today." She then shifted her gaze back to him and gave him a smile. "But I promise tomorrow alright?" After that she walked right past him, down the stairs and dashed out the door.

Dark watched until she closed the door right behind her. _Alright, I need to find out what this is about._

* * *

After confronting Tails about Nikki's behavior, the fox told him about what had happened on the day Nikki was born.

After hearing all of this, Dark leaned back against the wall. "Wow."

"Yeah, that's why she doesn't celebrate her birthday."

"Must be tough on her." The midnight hedgehog looked to the hanger door.

"She never met her father, but she still seems to feel that connection to him."

Suddenly, Dark's eyebrows raised as it looked like he had an idea.

"What are you thinking?" Tails asked, wondering whether or not he should have.

"Have you finished them yet?"

"Well yeah, they're done why-" Suddenly Tails realized Dark's plan. "Oh no, not a good idea."

"How do you know unless we try it."

"I don't think she'll go for it."

"What have you got to lose. The worst that could happen is that she'll tell _me_ to go home."

Tails opened his mouth to speak, but not being able to find a way around Dark's reasoning, closed it again and scratched the back of his head. He then sighed and reached down under his desk and took out the box. "Alright, but if she goes off on you, don't blame me."

As Dark gently took the box, Tails muttered. "Personally, I hope this works."

* * *

_Well, finding her should be easy enough. _Dark thought as he snuck around the forest near the Mystic Mountains. The sun was just starting to set. Knowing that Nikki probably wanted some time alone, Dark had decided to take his time with tracking her down.

He finally got to the top of the mountain ledge where he had sensed Nikki's presence, still keeping himself hidden behind the overgrowth of bushes and trees.

Sitting on the edge of the cliff was the blue hedgehog. She looked out at the same place she had came to every year for the past five years. Though the forest and the jungle around the area had begun to take back the land that was their own, the landscape down below hadn't changed. The crater remained untouched as permanent scar on the world…the only indication of her father's final resting place.

Her ears were slanted back against her spikes, Dark had never seen her like this before. She looked so downhearted.

The midnight hedgehog could barely hear her whisper into the wind. "…well, everyone else is doing good. It feels like everything's starting to turn around…like we're actually getting somewhere, you know. Me on the other hand…I can't help but feel that something's not right. I've been thinking…maybe I should try going back home again…you know, FairBreeze Village? Probably not the best idea though…I keep thinking I could go back there…say hi to mom too…but…every time I even think about it…" She let a sigh escape her and she pressed her ears into her spikes again. "…someday…I keep telling myself that…someday… In the meantime, I suppose you can tell her…where ever you are…"

She then sighed again. _Ugh, listen to myself, I don't even think you can hear me…Probably think this is stupid of me, coming here every year…just to talk to you…_

"Actually, I don't think it's stupid at all."

Nikki's eyes widened at the sudden soft voice that seemed to have come out of nowhere. _Dad?…no wait, that's…_

The blue hedgehog gave a light glance over her shoulder and saw who had been spying on her. The midnight hedgehog was out in the open, but still slightly hidden by the shadows of the trees, no longer trying keep himself unknown to her presence. His amethyst red eyes glowed in the darkness.

"How long have you been there?" The blue hedgehog asked with no tone to her voice at all.

The midnight hedgehog shrugged. "Ten…twenty minutes, give or take."

"You shouldn't have followed me here." She muttered as she returned her gaze back to the ledge.

"Technically, I didn't follow you. Tracked you…yes."

"So, why did you?"

"I sensed something was troubling you." Seeing Nikki's ears start to slant backward once again, Dark took a step backward. "I could…leave you be if you wish it."

Nikki glanced over her shoulder once again, her emerald eyes had a slight glow behind them that Dark didn't notice a few minutes ago. "…will you stay?"

Dark gave her a content look and then walked toward her. He then sat next to her, allowing his legs to dangle off of the ledge. "Whenever you need me."

Nikki didn't know why, but there was something about Dark's voice that was so soft, yet so strong at the same time. She leaned into him and placed her head against his shoulder, she then lightly whispered. "Thank you."

Dark wasn't expecting her to do that, but he didn't mind it. He gently leaned his head against hers.

After just listening to the wind for a few seconds, Dark whispered. "Hey…do you trust me?"

Nikki nodded, still leaning against his shoulder. "Of course I do."

"Good." Dark's strange tone made her eyes shoot open. The midnight hedgehog stood up and then stepped off of the edge of the cliff, igniting his hover shoes in the process. He then turned to her and stretched out his hand. "Come with me."

Nikki gave a light chuckle. "Dark, I can't fly."

The midnight hedgehog acted like he was thinking. "Hmm…that does pose as a problem…" He then snapped his fingers. "I got it. Check that bush behind you."

Nikki raised one of her eyebrows as she looked over her shoulder to where Dark was pointing. She then looked back at Dark, who gave her a light smirk. Now curious, she got up and walked over to the bush and pealed back the branches. Underneath, was a long skinny box.

Carefully, she took the box out from under the bush and then took off the lid. She looked confusingly at what was inside. "What are they?"

"Put them on the soles of your shoes and strap them on."

Nikki raised her eyebrow at Dark's command. She then shrugged and picked up the first metal object. The front of the metal bar was curved up and almost looked like a ladle. She figured out that the top of her shoe fitted right into it. She then took the buckles that were attached to metal base and strapped them to the top of her shoe and behind her ankle. She also realized that the metal actually seemed to suction cup to the sole of her shoe, offering no chance of it slipping off. Now figuring out how the first object attached to her shoe, she put the other one on with no trouble.

"Now put the earpiece on."

She looked into the box again after Dark's second comment. She didn't notice there was something like that in there before. But there it was, a small earpiece that looked like her communicator. Carefully, she picked it up and placed it in her ear. She then walked to the edge of the cliff side, crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Okay, now what?"

Dark gave her a contented look and then offered his hand to her. "Take my hand."

Nikki looked at Dark's hand for a second, she then looked into his eyes. She gave him a trusting smile and then placed her hand in his. The midnight hedgehog suddenly gripped tighter onto Nikki's wrist and took off into the air. "Whoa!"

At first, Nikki held on tightly with both hands on Dark's arm, thinking that if she let go, she would fall more than hundreds of feet down into the crater below. Her eyes were tightly shut.

She suddenly realized that she didn't feel like she was being pulled down by gravity at all. It fell like she was standing on something that was holding her up. She opened one of her eyes and risked a look down.

"Don't think that you're going to fall. Just think of where you want to go." The hedgehog holding onto her said softly.

_Okay…stay. _She suddenly felt her shoes push against her, like they were trying to keep her aloft. That's when she notice the light green glow emitting from the bottom of her feet. Slowly she lightened her grip on Dark's wrist. _It feels like I'm stand on ice…only it's air…this is gonna take some getting used to._

"I'm gonna let go now."

When she heard Dark say that she jumped. "Wait, you're what?" She felt herself become unsteady and losing balance as Dark released his grip. "Whoa!"

"Stay focused."

The blue hedgehog could feel herself starting to get her balance back. She blinked a few times, stared at her feet, then laughed when she realized she was standing…on air.

"Follow me." The midnight hedgehog then took off further into the air.

_Okay, so think…follow Dark. _Suddenly the hover skate attachments propelled her forward and she ran into the midnight hedgehog, who caught her. "Whoa!"

"Whoa." Dark then chuckled a little. "Not exactly what I meant."

Nikki gave him a sheepish smile, blushing a little.

The midnight hedgehog lead her up into the smog cover. She covered her nose and mouth. "Dark…where are we going?"

"You'll see." He answered.

As they got to the end of the polluted air, they could see the grey clouds disappear, peeling away like a curtain. Nikki was so stunned by the sight, it took her breath away. "Oh…my…Chaos."

Below them was the thick smog, but above them…was a vast canopy of stars, brighter and more brilliant than Nikki had ever seen. Every corner of the night sky was covered in stars, their shine reflecting in her emerald irises.

She looked at the midnight hedgehog next to her, who was just as entranced by the stars as she was. Noticing he was being watched, he looked at her and gave her his small smile. The blue hedgehog embraced him. "Thank you, Dark…Thank you."

The midnight hedgehog returned her embrace with his own. Thought it still surprised him, he was used to Nikki doing this by now.

Nikki loosened her grip and looked into Dark's amethyst red eyes. She then leaned in closer. Unsure of what she was about to do, Dark suddenly pushed her back.

"Um, what are you doing?" The midnight hedgehog looked at her confused.

"You asked me to trust you…now it's your turn to trust me."

He really didn't know what she was planning, but there was something in her eyes that made him feel something…something that he couldn't remember feeling before. Dark then gave a light nod. But as Nikki leaned in to try and kiss him, her communicator went off and she pulled back. "Ugh, excuse me. Just a minute." _Darn it, Perfect timing. _"Pretty good reception up here."

The blue hedgehog then answered her communicator. "Hello?" There was a brief pause for a minute, then Nikki's eyes suddenly widened, her calm persona instantly fading away. "She's what!"

* * *

Author's Note: Uh oh. What's going on now? It seems that our poor hero just can't catch a break.

The turning point in Nikki's life begins, next chapter of Sonic's Legacy

Also, well get see a few flashbacks into Tails' past when he goes back to his old workshop.

For Update Information...Check My Profile :D


	20. Chapter 37: Sorrow

Here it is, the next Chapter. Yay! :D

**Important! Read this before the Chapter!**

Now, I want to say that there is a major spoiler warning for "Sonic Adventure 2" in this chapter. So if you don't want to find out what happens for the game...you might not want to stop reading it after this line.

"...I'm certainly going to drag at least one of those monsters with me."

Everything above that, you're good. :D

If you're not worried by spoilers, by all means keep on reading. It should be interesting :D

Thank you to all those that reviewed the last chapter. :D You guys are awesome.

So, without further delay...Enjoy :D

* * *

_**Chapter 37: Sorrow**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format**_

After getting the call from Skyler, Dark teleported Nikki to the front of the Stern Orphanage.

"Thanks Dark." Nikki called as she started running toward the door.

"Wait, do you want me to stay here or-" Dark was suddenly interrupted by the alarm going off on the watch on his wrist, letting him know that he had to go back to Charles' lab. "Damn it."

"Dark go, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

Nikki nodded and gave him a smile. "I'll be back there later as soon as I find out what's going on, okay?"

Even though he didn't want to, the midnight hedgehog nodded. "Okay, go."

The blue hedgehog took off into the building and swiftly shut the door behind her.

_That fake smile. _Dark thought to himself as he turned to head back to New Albion. _You might be able to fool a lot of people with that confident smile…but you can never fool me, Sonica._

The midnight hedgehog suddenly disappeared from where he stood.

* * *

When she found Skyler, the raven told Nikki what had happened. As Skyler spoke, it felt as though Nikki couldn't understand what she was saying…or was it that she was refusing to believe what she was hearing. The hedgehog had no idea which it was, but she did hear every word. And inside it felt as though a knife had been driven into her chest. But Nikki didn't show any signs of falter in front of Skyler, true to her nature.

Concerned for her friend more than how she was feeling, the hedgehog ran up to the next floor in no time flat, but suddenly couldn't bring herself to walk through Jodi's door. As the flood of sadness came over her, she slammed her fist into the wall across from the door. She then rested her head against it and her eyes closed tightly shut.

_Why…why did this have to happen?…why is it that every time I get close to someone, something bad happens to them?…Jodi doesn't deserve this…This isn't fair…this isn't…_

The blue hedgehog allowed herself to slide to the floor. After letting herself vent for few seconds, the blue hedgehog opened her eyes.

_Keep it together, Nikki…For Jodi's sake…you have to keep it together…_

Once she composed herself, Nikki walked back toward the door. She reached for the handle, but hesitated for a minute.

_What am I supposed to do?…What can I say to her?…All I can do is be there…I'm all she has…_

She took in a deep breath. _Right…here we go. _And with that, she slowly opened the door and peeked into the room.

As Skyler had told her, Jodi was lying in her bed, her back turned away from the door.

Nikki took in another quiet breath and then took a few steps toward her. "…Jodi?" She then took a couple more steps forward. "Sis…you sleepin'?"

She noticed her sister glance a little over her shoulder, like she was making sure that her 'sister' was really there.

"I saw that." Nikki said trying to sound more optimistic than she was actually felling.

Jodi sighed loudly, realizing there was no point trying to act like she was sleeping anymore. Still, she didn't budge.

The hedgehog walked over and sat on the corner of the bed. "You know, I just past by the lunch hall. Was there another food fight in there since I've been here? Because it still smells like old spaghetti in there."

Not getting a reaction from Jodi, Nikki tried again. "So, I heard that Mrs. Stern finally retired. Funny, I thought she should've retired, hmm…let me see…14 years ago?"

Jodi gave a light giggle. "Nikki."

"What? Seriously. You'd think she would've stopped babysitting after watching the Mobisaurs die out."

"Nikki, okay, okay, I'm up."

"Yep, I thought that one would get ya." Nikki smiled in triumph. She then looked into her sister's eyes as she met her gaze. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Mmn, better. So, how did you find out?"

"Sky called me."

"Ugh, Skyler…" Jodi lightly face palmed herself. "I'm sorry she worried you like that."

"So is it true?"

There was a pause for a minute as Jodi debated on whether or not to tell her the truth, but she knew it was all out of the bag now. "…yes."

The blue hedgehog let out a drawn out sigh.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing Jodi, it's not your fault."

"No I know that. I mean…I'm sorry for you…"

"Don't be, I'm fine." Nikki said quickly.

"You don't sound so sure."

"I am. You're the one that's-" Nikki stopped herself short.

"If you never knew me…you wouldn't have to go through this."

"Don't you dare." Nikki whispered. "Don't think that I ever regret meeting you…because I never will."

"Nikki…" The ferret sighed as she leaned back on the bed.

The hedgehog leaned back and rested right next to her 'sister'. "…So…how long?"

"I don't know…six months…a year tops."

The hedgehog shook her head. "Was that what they said?"

"No, that's my estimate. There's not many doctors nowadays that fully understand what's going on with me. So, we worked together to figure it out."

"What about Tails and my Uncle Charlie? I'm sure they could-"

"I don't want to burden them with this. This was something that I was born with, it won't be easy to fix. Not like I could get a transplant either, there's no ferrets left with my same blood type. Not only that, it's not something that can be fixed with nanite technology either."

"Why not?"

"My body rejects it for some reason, I don't know why. And besides, say that I do ask for their help. Think of the time they would have to give up. I can't ask them to do that, not with so much at stake."

"What, you think you're not important? Um newsflash, you are important. More than you think you are."

"Pfft."

" 'Pfft'? That's all you have to say is 'pfft'? Geez, you're more stubborn than me."

"Now _that_ is impossible. There is no one on Mobius that is more stubborn than you." Jodi muttered.

"Yeah, okay. I'll give you that one. But do you really think that something like this will slow you down?"

"Nikki, I have a hole in my heart…literally. I think that is going to do more than slow me down."

Nikki stopped for a minute. Hearing it from Jodi herself, it was definitely a fact. She let out a loud sigh. "There's gotta be a way to fix this."

"Well, right now there isn't."

"Not gonna stop me from trying."

Jodi sighed. "I know…like I said, stubborn. I just don't want you to get your hopes up only to be shot down."

"Hey, it doesn't matter what happens. We're always gonna to be the two kids that ended up getting stuck cleaning the whole cafeteria after that food fight, because we weren't fast enough to not get caught."

"Correction, everyone else took off. You were more than capable of taking off and out of the building completely before Mrs. Stern even got into the room…but you didn't…you stayed with me, and then took responsibility for it."

"Well, it was mostly my fault. I wasn't about to let you take the heat for it."

"And I wasn't going to let you take it all by yourself either. That's what I admire about you, Nikki. You never truly abandoned anyone…not even once. And you're willing to take the weight off of everyone else's shoulders around you. I've never lost faith in you, and no matter what happens to me, you shouldn't lose faith in yourself either."

Jodi then took her sister's hand. "You will always be a hero and my sister, with or without me. If you want to do anything for me, then do just that…be yourself, never forget who you are."

"Reckless and all?" Nikki said with a light smile as she slightly raised one of her eyebrows.

"Yep, all of it." Jodi laughed.

"I'm still gonna talk to my Uncle Charlie about this. I'm not giving up on you, if there is a way, we'll find it."

"In the meantime…just don't get your hopes up too much, alright? I'll do what I can to help you with your search for Snivly on my end. If I _am_ going down, I'm certainly going to drag at least one of those monsters with me."

* * *

Nikki had decided to stay the night with Jodi. The next morning Jodi felt much better and promised that she would be careful from now on to prevent aggravating her condition. Knowing that the others would be worried about her and remembering that she had promised to help Tails, Nikki still debated on whether or not she should leave Jodi and go back. But Jodi insisted that she would be fine and finally convinced Nikki to go back and help Tails.

"_The world can't stop because I'm not feeling well. Don't worry about it."_

_Jodi…when you say things like that…that's when I worry the most._

"Hello? Mobius to Nikki?"

"Hmm, what? Oh sorry."

"If you want to go back, I understand." Tails said from inside the cockpit of the X-Tornado 2.

"No, no. I'm fine." Nikki tried to reassure him.

But Tails wasn't buying it. "I'm just worried that you'll worry so much that you fall right off that wing you're standing on."

"Tails, I'm fine." She reassured again.

"Don't worry, Charles and I are planning. We'll figure this out." Tails added, knowing that Nikki was just trying to put on a brave face so that he would stop worrying about her.

"I hope so." Nikki whispered.

"Get your mask ready, we're almost to the Mystic Ruins." Tails said as the X-Tornado 2 began it's descent.

"Right." The hedgehog took the bandana from her quills and quickly tied it around her muzzle.

Once the plane landed, Tails tied his bandana around his own muzzle before opening the cockpit. Dark and Stealth were waiting at the base of the hill.

"Are you sure you don't need one of these?" Stealth spoke though a mask that looked similar to what a ninja would wear more than a bit of cloth.

Dark shook his head. "Nope."

"Okay, it's your funeral. Can't say I didn't try." The wild cat rolled his eyes. He then noticed Nikki and Tails coming in their direction. "Good, they made it."

"So, how's it looking Stealth?" The twin tailed fox asked.

"Looks like we're in the clear for now. The raider's camp isn't too far off though. Benny let them know I was in the area, so we should be alright."

"You're sure that'll be enough to keep them away?" Nikki asked.

"What? An ex-con artist that was at the top of his game who later joined G.U.N. task forces wouldn't be good enough? I'll tell you this much. If I was still working the underground and I found out that a guy like that was in the area, I would stay clear of it." Stealth said as he raised one of his eyebrows.

"Okay, okay. Point taken." Nikki said as she laughed a little.

Tails then turned to the midnight hedgehog. "Now Dark, we're going to be counting on you and Nikki. You two are the only ones here that can sense changes in Chaos Energy in the air around you. If you sense that the negative Chaos Energy in the area is too high, we'll have to get out of here fast, okay?"

Everyone gave the twin tailed fox a nod.

"Right, lets head in." Tails gently pushed open the door. The door groaned loudly as if it had been awoken from a long slumber. The fox took a step inside and peeked in. The dust was so thick that it looked as though a fog had set itself in the center of the room. It was a good thing they were wearing the masks, not only will they have to worry about the Chaos Energy levels, but the dust alone could be enough to suffocate them if it got in their lungs.

The dust didn't seem to affect Dark at all, as Tails had expected.

Like Stealth had said before, the place looked as though it was completely cleaned out. Even the furniture was missing. The only thing left in the room was broken glass from one of the nearby windows.

"Everyone watch your step." Tails said behind him as he walked further into the living room.

"Tails, it looks like someone beat us here. There's nothing left." Nikki observed as she looked around the room, being careful when stepping on the shards of glass.

"It's not this room we're going to be searching. This way." The group followed the fox as he led them down the hall. He then turned a corner and entered into another room, which was also cleaned out.

"Which room was this?" Nikki asked curiously as she walked in after Tails.

"This was Sonic's room. My room is just across the hall. You see," Tails took out a flashlight out of his nap sack as he continued. "Sonic was always away on adventures most of the time, so this was more his guest room than an actual room."

He then shined the light on the metal floor, which was separated into large square tiles. "One day, Eggman attacked my house and found my secret hiding place where I kept the Chaos Emeralds Sonic and I collected…that was in my room."

The fox stopped by one of the squares near the center of the room. "So Sonic and I came up with an idea." Tails took his hand and placed it firmly on top of the metal square, the edges glowed bright gold. "Obviously Eggman would expect something to be hidden in my room, or even in my workshop. But-" Suddenly, the massive square hinged upward and revealed a secret passage. "He would never suspect anything to be hidden under Sonic's room."

"Good thinking." Stealth nodded.

"Just be careful climbing in, it's been a very long time since anyone's been down there."

Taking Tails' warning into account, the group carefully climbed in and down the ladder one at a time. Once they reached the bottom, Nikki used her Chaos Shard as a light and looked around the room. Stealth used his night vision to see. And Dark scanned to room around him using night vision as well.

The room was big, probably just about five feet squared larger than the room above. There was a ton of what looked to be random junk to the group, but to Tails, this was where he stored some his important inventions. The ones that he never wanted to fall into the wrong hands.

"So, what are we looking for?" Nikki asked as she peaked into one of the boxes.

"Anything that you think we can use. If you have any questions, ask me." Tails answered as he searched the far end of the room.

"You got it." The blue hedgehog replied and she gently dug though the box.

Everyone else separated to search all the corners of the room, Stealth effortlessly climbing to the top of one of the shelves to get a better look. Dark looked on the other side of the room, scanning to see if he found anything that seemed to match what Tails might be looking for.

As Tails looked through one box, something caught his eye. It wasn't a grand invention or a rare artifact…but a small, white and brown shoe.

_Wow…_

The twin tailed fox took out the tiny shoe out of the box for a closer look.

_Hard to believe my feet were actually that small…it's almost hard to believe __**I **__was that small._

Tails began to remember a moment in his past…

* * *

_**Narrator: Tails**_

It was a stormy night and I tried to take shelter under a tree. I was cold…frightened…I had no idea where I was. I didn't know it at the time, but I would've died out there if I was out there for too long…but there was no where else for me to go. As the freezing wind blew by, I curled up, wrapping my two tails around me. I closed my eyes, hoping to just fall asleep and that this was all some sick nightmare.

Just then, a voice carried in the wind. "Awe man, I should've taken another route. Naw, I just _had_ to take the short cut, now I'm soaked."

Suddenly, I heard the voice a little closer. "Hey…you okay kid?"

Slowly I opened my eyes. There, standing above me dripping wet from the rain, was a blue hedgehog. He then knelt down and looked right at me, his emerald green eyes were kind and sincere. I couldn't remember ever seeing anyone look at me that way. Through my shivering, I stuttered. "Y-you talking t-to me?"

The stranger then gave me a confused look for a second, his expression then quickly changed into laughter. "Well, yeah. I don't see any other kids around here." He then looked over his shoulder to be sure. "Are you out here by yourself?"

"Y-yeah…I…" I didn't notice it, but I was starting to pass out.

"Whoa, hold on there kid. Stay awake, kay?"

There was something about his voice that made me obey his request. Being so young, I didn't know why his tone sounded so urgent. All I thought I was doing was falling asleep, but it was really more serious than that. If I had passed out then, I might never had woken up.

The blue furred stranger then reached his hand toward me. "Come on, lets get out of the rain.?"

I was shocked by those words, _he wanted me to go with him?_ "Y-you mean it?"

"Yeah, whadda you say?"

I didn't know what to do at first. I looked at his hand and then my eyes drifted to his emerald irises. They were strong, but so kind…and his smile. I knew that he wasn't lying to me in the slightest. He wasn't trying to hurt me, he wanted to help me. With a smile, I reached forward and took his hand. "S-sure."

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

_Well…I really have no use for a beat up old shoe. _Tails thought as he looked it over. _I better just leave it here._

"Think I might've found something." Stealth voiced as he looked at the strange looking thing. "Though, I have absolutely no idea what it is."

"That's good, keep it." Tails said after he glanced over his shoulder and seemed to recognize it.

The ocelot looked at the thing, still slightly confused by it. But he quickly shrugged and put it in his nap sack.

Nikki sensed something and was drawn to another box close to the wall she was searching. _Feels like there's some positive Chaos Energy in here. _The blue hedgehog thought as she peeked into the box. There was a bunch of random stuff inside, but there was something in that box that was setting off her senses.

Suddenly, Dark picked up on it too and rushed over to Nikki. "No."

The midnight hedgehog reached in and, to everyone's surprise, took out a golden Chaos Emerald. "That was close."

"Wha- the?" Nikki had no idea there was a Chaos Emerald under all of that stuff. It was a good thing that Dark was there to stop her from touching it, or that could've been a big problem. "Thanks Dark."

The two adults that had whipped around at Dark's sudden movement, breathed a massive sigh of relief.

"Geez kid, don't do that. You nearly gave me a heart attack." Stealth breathed.

"Tails, you had a Chaos Emerald in here all this time?" Nikki asked, still slightly shocked and confused.

"Talk about finding secrets in the basement." Stealth commented as he looked to the twin tailed fox.

Tails looked just as confused as everyone else as he walked closer to the strange gem. "Hold on, Dark let me see that."

The midnight hedgehog handed the gem to Tails and the twin tailed fox looked it over. He then laughed little. "Wow, okay. I know what this is now."

"Well duh, it's a Chaos Emerald." Stealth voiced from the background.

"That's what it's supposed to look like. It's a fake, I made it."

"You what?" Stealth was surprised by this. _How could someone __**make**__ a Chaos Emerald?_

"But it still has Chaos Energy like a real emerald, I felt it. That's how I found where it was in the first place." Nikki added, confused.

"It has the same wavelength and properties of a Chaos Emerald. It still behaves the same way, but it's not the real thing." He looked back to his comrades. "This is great find, we can use this."

"Great then lets keep looking." Stealth said as he continued to search the next shelf.

Dark gave Nikki a look and she rolled her eyes when she understood. "I know, I know, if I sense any Chaos Energy I won't touch it, I'll holler."

"Good Nikki." The midnight hedgehog then swiftly turned around and continued looking in his side of the room.

Nikki gave Dark light glare, but then brushed it off and continued looking.

The twin tailed fox looked at the gem in his hand.

_You sure did get us out of a tight spot…_

* * *

_**Narrator: Tails**_

"Just stay calm Amy, Sonic's coming."

"Stay calm? You try having a gun in your face and tell me _you_ can stay calm!"

"Quiet you!" Eggman yelled waving the gun.

A part of me wanted to do something right then and there. But what could I do? If I tried to rush in, Amy could get hurt. My Cyclone was fast, but there was no way it was faster than a laser at that close of a range.

I was more than scared…I was terrified. Eggman had been frightening to me before, but this? This was low even for him, using Amy as a Mobian shield to get Sonic to abandon his mission to stop the Eclipse Cannon and come here. Although, looking back, I should've expected nothing less from that wicked man.

If only I was as strong back then as I am now. I could've done more than just stand there and watch, but I was still a kid. Besides, Sonic was on his way, I knew he would come up with something to get Amy out of this safely.

The metal door slid up behind me and I looked over my shoulder. There, in the doorway was my brother. I wanted to let him know how relieved I was to see him, but his eyes were filled with anger. And he had every right to be, given the circumstances. Instead, I decided to stay quiet and let him take care of the situation, keeping myself on standby in case he gave me a signal to join in.

The sinister doctor across from us raised his laser gun toward Amy the instant he saw my brother. "Let's take care of business first, shall we Sonic?" His voice suddenly changed from eerily calm, to a tone that nearly sent a shiver down my spine. "Hand over the Chaos Emerald, _slowly _and then we'll talk about your _girlfriend. _That is, if you _really _care for her…"

Low blow Eggman, low blow. Just when I thought he couldn't sink any lower, there it was. I looked over to my brother and noticed he had the fake Chaos Emerald in his hand. Instantly understanding what he was planning, I gave him a light nod. It was a good plan. There was no way Eggman could tell that the Chaos Emerald Sonic had was a fake. And by the time he would find out, he would've blown up all his plans…literally.

Or…that was what I thought…Why was I so naïve?

"Put the Emerald down right there, and _back off!" _Eggman threatened again as he risked pointing his gun toward a circle on the floor.

Now that I'm older and looking back, I think we would've learned this by that point. If there is a circle on the ground in an evil place…_don't_ step on it. But again, I was still a kid. My mindset wasn't focused on that at the moment.

I glanced back and could see Sonic's confident smile, giving me the signal that he was going through with it and setting his plan into motion. As he walked forward toward the center of the room, he mocked. "You've turned into a _big-time _villain, Doctor."

As my brother reached the center of the room, I looked at Eggman across me. The man's sinister smile unnerved me, there was just something about it that gave me the sense that he had another plan in mind. Suddenly, his finger pushed down a button on his walker's control panel. Before I could yell, my breath was taken away from me as Sonic was suddenly trapped in a glass capsule pod that dropped from the ceiling.

"You thought you could trick me with that fake Emerald, didn't you?"

Shocked by this, I blurted out. "What? How did you know it wasn't the real one?"

I heard Sonic yell my name from his tempered class prison, by the time Eggman had announced what I did, I already knew the mistake.

"Because you just told me, fox boy!"

I blew it, I really blew it.

"Now, for a little space ride! The capsule clears the colony, BAM!"

_He's gonna what? _This was bad, this was really bad.

My brother looked at me, his emerald eyes full of determination. "I'm counting on you Tails."

He then turned and looked at Amy across the room, who was nearly on the brink of tears. "And Amy…take care of yourself."

_This isn't happening…please tell me this isn't happening!_

"Farewell! Sonic the Hedgehog!"

My brave brother gave Eggman one last glare before the pod was ejected into space.

Amy ran to the window of the room and helplessly watched the pod as it drifted further away from us. "Sonic…"

What I saw next will haunt me for the rest of my life. The pod that held my brother against his will exploded, bursting into flame. The light form the explosion brightened up the dark room.

"Farewell Sonic…my admirable adversary."

I could barely hear Amy as my own heartbeat began ringing in my ears. "SONIC!"

"Now we have some unfinished business to take care of! If you give me the real Emerald, I will release you both. You have my promise."

Eggman? Keep a promise? Yeah right, hell would freeze over first.

I heard what he was saying, but my mind was somewhere else. I started to remember our adventures together, all the times Sonic saved me, when he was there for me. That was when I realized. For as long as I could remember, I always expected Sonic to get us out of any situation. I was able to stop Eggman once on my own, but I'm still sure that was a fluke more than anything, even though Sonic didn't seem to think so at all. And then I realized, even though I didn't have too much faith in myself…Sonic always did. And now…he asked _me _to finish what we started.

"Sonic…"

I heard Eggman in the background. "Huh?"

Keeping my brother's memory in mind, I looked Eggman directly into those dark black glasses. "Sonic has asked me for the first time to do something for him," I could feel the determination and anger burning behind my eyes as I began to raise my voice. "I won't let him down! I won't give up!"

With my speech, the sinister doctor simply laughed. "You're no match for me! You weak little fox!" He then fired one of his missile rounds.

But I dodged and stared him down once again. "Watch me!"

Knowing that Eggman would have a trick up his sleeve, I began charging my laser cannon. I had to be careful and time it just right. Eggman's walker and my Cyclone circled each other, matching missiles with counter attacks. Then, I saw my chance.

When Eggman fired his laser, I made the Cyclone leap into the air and hover. The light from his laser was so bright, I was blinded from it for a second.

Eggman must've assumed that I had been hit, because after he fired the laser, he laughed in triumph. "That'll teach you, fox brat."

As the laser began to dim, my gaze met that of a shocked Eggman. "What?"

"For what you did to Sonic…I'll never forgive you!" I then activated the laser I had charged. "Fire!"

The blue laser came blazing out of the front of the Cyclone and pummeled into Eggman's walker. I allowed the Cyclone to land slowly as the laser dimmed.

It took every bit of energy I had not to finish him off right then and there. But I knew one thing…Sonic, my brother, wouldn't have wanted that. He wouldn't want me to become a murderer, even if it was to stop someone as evil as Eggman.

I climbed out of the Cyclone, giving the past out Eggman a glare as I landed on my feet.

I then looked to the blue Chaos Emerald in my hand, "Sonic…I did it."

I was trying my best to keep my tears back.

_He's gone…he's really…_

Suddenly, I heard my communicator ring and I turned it on the frequency, thinking that it might be Knuckles contacting or something. But instead, the voice on the other line instantly lifted my spirits.

"Awesome job, Tails."

"Sonic!" I couldn't believe it. He was alive. Sonic was alive.

I heard Amy cheer behind me instantly when she heard his voice over the communicator.

"Look outside." The communicator buzzed.

Both Amy and I walked over to the window. The Eclipse Cannon looked as though it was ready to fire, but something wasn't right about it. It suddenly began to malfunction and break apart as an explosion ripped through it's core. I focused my vision even further. There was Sonic, on one of the antennas of the colony, with that big smirk on his face. He then gave me a thumbs up.

It was later when he told me about how he had escaped the pod by using the fake Chaos Emerald to use Chaos Control.

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

Suddenly, the female hedgehog's voice brought the twin tailed fox back to reality. "Hey Tails, check this out."

The said fox turned around and walked over to Nikki. "What did you find?"

The blue hedgehog pulled out an older model Extreme Gear, a long crack nearly severing the board across it's center.

"Whoa," Stealth said slightly stunned as he turned around. "Haven't seen that in forever." The wild cat then scratched the back of his head.

"What happened? Did you crash into a saw factory or something?" Nikki asked looking at the long gash in the board.

"Umm…yeah, something like that." Tails answered, though it did sound hesitant, like it wasn't the answer he had prepared to give her. That was because…that wasn't what had happened in the slightest…

* * *

_**Narrator: Tails**_

When I saw that deep cut in my old Extreme Gear, I couldn't help but remember that day. I was fifteen. It seemed like a day like any other…until I saw a report on the news saying that Sonic was destroying the city!

Refusing to believe it, I decided to go out to investigate. I enlisted Stealth's help, who was working with G.U.N. at the time to help me track him down. I expected to find Sonic and have him be perfectly fine and tell me that it was yet another imposter Eggman made or something. What I had never expected, along with Cream actually tailing me, was for it to be in fact my brother actually terrorizing the city.

I knew something was wrong as soon as I saw him. He seemed to act like his normal self…only when I looked into his eyes…I saw something different. His eyes were bright red and seemed to pulse brighter then dimmer once again.

Suddenly, he came at me at blinding speed. I was caught off guard and was forced to stay on the defensive, blocking his attacks and dodging as I tried to figure out what was going on. I just barely dodged one of his attacks, but one of my tails was severely cut. I couldn't help but cringe. It didn't matter how strong I had become, my tails were always sensitive. As Sonic came in for another strike, I heard Cream motioning to run out and help me.

"TAILS!"

But Stealth knew there was nothing that she could do and held her back to protect her. "No!"

In that split second, I noticed my Extreme Gear at my feet. A loud clanging sound echoed through the air. Sonic and I stood face to face…My Extreme Gear was propped up between the two of us, my hands gripped firmly to it, holding Sonic back.

Sonic had stopped spinning when he hit the Extreme Gear, realizing that he didn't hit his target. He too was gripping onto the Extreme Gear, trying to force it against me as I stood my ground. My brother then looked at me, his blood red eyes gleamed as he smirked. "Ha, not bad…You're getting better at this, Bro."

That actually sent a shiver down my spine. He recognized who I was, but the way he acted toward me was completely backwards. It felt like he was taunting me, like he did with Eggman's robots in a fight.

Eventually we did figure out how to solve that one too. I really do owe Stealth for that. If it wasn't for him helping me out, I don't think we ever would've saved Sonic.

* * *

_All those times we made it through…why couldn't we figure a way out that one time?…_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

"Tails."

The fox turned to the midnight hedgehog, who looked serious. "We should go."

Tails knew that if Dark was saying they should get out, it meant that the negative Chaos Energy levels were becoming too dangerous to stay any longer. The fox gave him a nod. "Right, lets go then. I think we got enough here for now."

Stealth leapt down from the shelf. "Good, because I don't think I could fit anymore ju- I mean 'inventions' into my pack."

"Ignoring that." Tails said as he gave the wild cat a smirk.

Stealth returned Tails' comment with a short laugh. "Yeah, I thought you might." With that, the wild cat climbed up the ladder.

After Stealth gave the all clear, Dark went up next.

As Nikki waited for her turn to go up the ladder, Tails looked at her. He had always tried to respect Nikki as her own Mobian. But there were times when she was so much like her father, it felt as though the true blue hero was right next to him.

"Okay Nikki, you're up."

Right after Stealth hollered, Nikki swiftly climbed up the ladder.

The twin tailed fox turned and looked back at the storage room. So many memories still lied here, hidden in the boxes and collecting dust on the shelves. His sapphire eyes seemed to shine in the dim light.

"Tails! You comin'!" Nikki shouted down from the top.

Tails grabbed one of the bars of the ladder and looked back at the room one last time. Giving his hidden memories one last smile, the fox then swiftly pulled himself up the ladder.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, this is gonna be a long note, but here we go.

-First of all, poor Jodi :( But the Freedom Fighters have her back, so hopefully they'll figure out how to help her.

-Tails' first flashback was my own rendition of how Sonic and Tails first met. It was one of my favorite scenes to write for this chapter.

-The second flashback was actually from the game "Sonic Adventure 2", but I put it in Tails' point of view. The only thing I really changed besides that was Tails' reaction to Eggman knowing the Emerald Sonic had was a fake. I'm sorry, I just couldn't see Tails reacting that way right after Sonic being trapped. I thought he would act more shocked, as he does here. But besides that, it's almost to the letter.

EDIT: I forgot to add that I did add additional dialogue to the beginning of that flashback, as well as more dialogue and an actual scene to the fight with Dr. Eggman. Those didn't happen in "Sonic Adventure 2"

-The third flashback is one of my own design that takes place at some point after Sonic 06 and before the prologue of Sonic's Legacy. You will be able to get the whole back story in another installment that I plan on writing about it later on.

For Update information...Check Profile :)


	21. Chapter 38: Promises

Yay, Chapter 38 :D

One anonymous review for last chapter...

Yurete: Awe thanks :)

So here we go, Chapter 38

Enjoy! :D

* * *

_**Chapter 38: Promises**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

"Tails…Hey Tails, wake up."

The tired fox opened his eyes and met the eyes of his god daughter. "Mnn…what? What's up?"

"You fell asleep at your desk again." The hedgehog replied as she simply blinked. Normally, Nikki would've laughed at finding Tails sleeping at his desk, but since Jodi fell ill, she hadn't been herself as of late.

"Yeah…it's been my bed for the past week now." The fox rubbed one of his eyes, still feeling weary from the endless calculating and analyzing data.

"So, have you and Uncle Charlie figured anything out yet?"

Tails looked at her for a second, he then allowed his heavy head to lay back onto the desk, covered by his arms. "Gah, nothing…I got absolutely nothing."

Nikki allowed a sigh to escape her, then Tails continued. "I mean, it's like someone is deliberately trying to make every single possibility a bad match. Charles knows more about this stuff than I do and even _he_ is stumped. I think he was still looking over the data again after I passed out."

Realizing he was letting his exhaustion get the better of him, Tails apologized. "Ugh…sorry…I didn't mean to just go off like that."

"No, it's alright. I want to know what's going on, don't keep me in the dark about it."

"Okay…" Tails then took the screen off of sleep mode. "But you're gonna have no idea what I'm saying."

"Try me."

Noticing Nikki's determined look, Tails sighed once again. "Alright." He then typed in a few codes on his computer and brought up some charts and graphs that Nikki couldn't understand. "Jodi is not only immune to nanite technology, she also has a rare blood type. But she already figured all that out. And because of the Exus raiding the major cities years ago, there's no donors. Ferrets are already rare enough, let alone finding any that match her blood type. So far, Charles has tried using Jodi's D.N.A. data to make nanites more bio-mechanical, matching her cellular structure…you with me so far?"

"I think so. So Uncle Charlie is making nanites that will be like Jodi's existing cells?"

"Yep, you got. But it still hasn't worked. He's just trying to get it to work with her own blood cells from the samples he took. She has a surprisingly strong immune system."

Nikki then thought out loud. "That explains why she never got sick."

"Huh?"

Noticing Tails was interested in this fact, Nikki explained. "Well, I mean catching the cold or the flu. Whenever any one else got it, she didn't."

Tails wondered about this, in her condition, Jodi should've been easily affected by illnesses. It should be impossible that she never got sick. "You never got sick, did you?"

"No, the only time I could remember was because of the Chaos Virus."

"Yeah and that was caused by Negative Chaos Energy…but her strong immune system doesn't seem to be the only reason why Jodi's blood cells are reacting to the nanites. There's something else in her blood too…it's kind of like an anti-mech."

After that last word, Nikki shot Tails a confusing look. "Come again?"

"An anti-mech. Charles thought of it after Robotnik's war to reverse the robotification process."

The hedgehog's eyes suddenly widened at this. "So, wait a minute. This is news to me. If Uncle Charlie has something like that, then why are we still worried about the roboticizors? If we can just reverse it-"

"That's the thing, he _doesn't_ have it. He's been working on it since his brother was roboticized, he hasn't finished developing it yet. He's made plenty of trial types, but he hasn't tested them yet. It's too dangerous, not to mention the complications that could come with it need to be taken into account."

"So what are you saying, that someone gave it to her?" Now Nikki was starting to worry on the inside, all this just didn't seem right.

"Maybe…this whole thing is just crazy." Tails rubbed the back of his head.

"Crazy…that's too soft of a word if you ask me." Nikki added as she pulled up a chair and rested her head on the desk. "If it's Uncle Charlie's invention, then how did someone get it?"

"That's part of what we're trying to figure out. Charles said that he never told anyone about it. He felt it was too risky to let any of his colleagues get involved."

"Why, he didn't trust them or something?"

"No, it's not that he didn't trust them, per say. It was more of the fact that the others didn't fully understand how the robotification process worked. He did invent the roboticizor after all to save his brother, he never dreamed it would turn into a weapon. So when he thought of a way to reverse it, he had no idea if there was anyone he could trust at the time. During that war, many of his former colleagues ended up teaming up with Robotnik or enemy forces."

"So, keeping it a secret was a better idea at the time?"

"Well, yes." Tails then looked back to the computer screen of endless codes and random numbers. "So now the question is…which one of those trials could've been used on Jodi and who gave it to her? That's what we're trying to figure out right now." Tails then brought up profiles on the screen. "These are the doctors that Jodi had seen that week."

Nikki gave her god father a confused look. "You hacked her medical records?"

The fox looked at her as he answered. "I couldn't get a hold of her. And we don't have time to wait." He then returned to the screen. "Okay, one of these doctors is a colleague of Marcus, so there's some good news. That means he's more than likely on our side. The other doctor…I've never actually met him personally."

"Um, have you _met_ Marcus? He's creepy." Nikki commented as she raised one of her eyebrows.

"Yes, he is. I completely agree with you there, but the guy he works with seems to have more of a level head. Let's take a look at his file." Tails opened up the window. "Ah, here we go. Professor Lochheart. It says here that he's a leading scientific marvel in biology and chemistry. Okay, he seems promising."

"You think we can find a way to talk to this guy?"

"I might be able to contact him, but I doubt he'll give any information. Patient confidentiality and all that."

"Yeah, that." Nikki then laid her head back on the table. "Darn it, Jodi. Why couldn't you just give us the paperwork they gave you or something?"

"Not like we can ask her right now." Tails muttered.

"So, what about the other guy?" Nikki asked as she looked up at the screen.

"His name is Dr. John Phoenix, Sonic met him once. He's actually a human who used to work for G.U.N. in the medical science department, he then retired from there and became an ordinary doctor in Station Square. I could see why Jodi would contact him, but I'm actually surprised she was able to find him. He fell off the grid when G.U.N. disappeared."

"You think one of these guys gave Jodi the anti-mechanical thing?"

"Anti-mech." Tails corrected with a laugh. "And yes, I think that's the only way she could've acquired it. But I could also be wrong about that. With Jodi being an orphan, she has no prior medical records. So who knows when this could've been administered into her system. Charles and I will have to talk to her or one of these doctors to figure this out."

Nikki thought for a second. "Say, do you think you could upload that Dr. Phoenix guy's file to a digi-map?"

"Digi-map? Oh, digital map. Yeah, sure I can why?"

"Because I think Dark and I can try and track that guy down."

"You two will have to be careful though, Just because the Exus haven't done anything for a while, doesn't mean it's safe to just run around with your guard down."

"We will. After I drop off Jodi at Uncle Charlie's place, I'll pick up Dark and we'll start looking."

"Okay, stay in touch though, alright?"

"You got it." Nikki nodded.

"Gyro works with Marcus right? So he could probably ask him and see if he can get a hold of this other doctor." Tails suggested.

But Nikki kind of blinked and looked toward the ceiling. "Umm…actually…about that."

"What?" Tails read Nikki's expression like a book. "He doesn't know yet, does he?"

"No…not yet."

"Ugh Nikki. He deserves to know about this as much as the rest of us."

"I know that-but…I kind of promised Jodi I wouldn't tell him."

"Why on Mobius would you do that?"

"Jodi's going to tell him, she wants to be the one to tell him."

Tails placed his hand over his face, knowing too well where this might lead. "This just has bad idea written all over it."

"I know, I don't like it either. But Jodi thinks it would be better coming from her than from someone else. And she feels that she has to do this, I can't take that away from her."

Tails let out a sigh. "Alright." He then checked his watch on his wrist. "Well, it's nine o'clock. What time did you need to-?"

Nikki suddenly jumped. "Oh shit, I'm gonna be late." With that, the hedgehog then sped up the stairs and out the door.

The fox laughed a little at her quick escape. He then turned back to the screen. "Right, back to work for me then."

* * *

"Are you sure you don't need me to be there?" The hedgehog asked with slight concern as she dropped Jodi off at the New Albion University.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"No, I mean…" Nikki trailed off for a second.

"Look, I know telling him isn't going to be easy, but I know I have to be the one to tell him. There's no way around it. Besides, you and Dark need to check in on that lead you guys got right?"

"Yeah, I still think that's strange that you have no idea where Dr. Phoenix's office is."

The ferret crossed her arms and gave her sister a look. "I still can't believe you and Tails went through my medical records."

"Yeah…I thought you'd still be angry about that."

"I already told you, I'm not angry Nikki. I know why you guys had to do that. I'm not holding it against either one of you. I'm curious about this myself, neither one of the doctors told me about the anti-mech. I need to thank Tails and Charles the next time I see them for finding that out." The ferret then walked toward the steps of the university. "You better go, you guys need all the time you can get to find him."

Nikki was still hesitant to leave, but she knew that if they were going to get anywhere with helping Jodi, they had find this guy. "Alright…but call me if you need me. That goes for either one of you. I'll be back as fast as I can." With that the hedgehog took off at blinding speed toward Charles' lab.

Jodi took in a deep breath and opened the door to the university. She walked up the stairs to the entrance to a class room just at the corner. Her heart began to race as she reached toward the door, not because of her condition, but because of what she feared would happen after she told Gyro about it. Instead of just opening the door, Jodi knocked.

A familiar voice came from the other side. "Come in."

The ferret slowly pushed the door open and peeked inside. Who was inside looked like Gyro, but seemed older than the one she recognized. This lynx had the same fur color, the same eyes, but he wore glasses and was taller. The lynx glanced over at the door and noticed her. "Jodi? Well, this is certainly a surprise."

"Hi, umm…you are Gyro, right? You're not his older brother or something?"

The lynx laughed. "Oh, sorry. Don't worry, it's me. I just make myself look older when I teach a class. Students aren't likely to listen to a teenager you know. Hold on." Gyro took off his glasses and then appeared to change form, though it was hardly noticeable. All it looked like he did was shrink to his normal height and returned to his true age of sixteen. "There we go, back to normal."

The lynx then turned to Jodi. "It's good to see you, how's everything?"

"Gyro…I have to talk to you. It's important." Noticing that Gyro was about to say something that was bound to be an endless array of worrying questions, Jodi quickly added. "Now before you start throwing in questions, let me answer a few first. It has nothing to do with you or how I feel about you. You're amazing and I love you." Jodi blushed at the end of that.

Gyro breathed a sigh of relief, but still held a hint of worry behind his eyes. "Then…what is it?"

Jodi took a deep cleansing breath and looked away for a minute. She then turned to face him again. "I'm going to need you not to freak out to what I'm about to say, okay? I know that's impossible, but you'll know why after I tell you."

"Kind of hard to do if I don't know what you're talking about. But I promise, I'll do my best."

"Okay…"

After Jodi tells him everything about her condition, Gyro does his best to keep his composure. But even though he was a nanite machine, he did have emotions like any other Mobian, something that Jodi understood. What he wanted to do at the moment she finished was slam his fist into the desk in front of him. But knowing what that kind of reaction could do to Jodi in the condition she was in could've caused her to have an episode, especially after dealing with something as stressful as telling him about this in the first place.

Instead, he settled for placing the palms of his hands lightly on the desk in front of him. He then whispered to himself. "…I can't believe this."

"I'm sorry Gyro…I…I don't want you to suffer along with me either…if…if you no longer wish to be with me…I understand."

The lynx didn't say a word, but lifted his head to her direction. Slowly he walked toward her, his expression remained calm. He then gently took her in a warm embrace. "I love you…and only you…and nothing on Mobius or otherwise will ever change that."

Jodi couldn't believe what she was hearing. Of course she felt that way about Gyro and she knew he loved her too, but this was something much deeper than that. He truly meant that no matter what happened, he loved her. Even after hearing that she may die from this…he still loved her. With tears threatening to fall, she returned his embrace. "Oh Gyro."

"I promise you…I'll do what I can to help the others solve this."

* * *

"Okay, so how are we supposed to find this doctor? We're having a hard enough time locating Snivly." Dark pointed out as they left the entrance to New Albion.

Nikki looked back to her comrade. "I know, but this guy did come to the orphanage."

"How long ago?"

"About a week and a half."

The midnight hedgehog nodded. "Okay, so we start there first. I can try and track life energy from there."

The blue hedgehog shot Dark a surprised look. "You can do that?"

"In theory."

"Good enough for me. Lets get started."

As soon as Nikki agreed, Dark teleported both of them to the front of the Stern Orphanage. No sooner after they walked through the door, the midnight hedgehog picked up on something. "I'm sensing a different energy than the last time I was here." He closed his eyes to focus solely on that one particular life force. His eyes suddenly opened. "I think I got it."

On the trail, Dark ran back out the entrance and immediately looked to his right. "That way."

The midnight hedgehog suddenly dashed at full speed right in front of Nikki's running path, but she quickly recovered and followed. "Whoa! Ha ha, alright."

They both suddenly stopped when they recognized a familiar sign.

"Of course…of all the places, he had to be there." Nikki voiced in a not so thrilled tone.

Her midnight comrade crossed his arms. "Shouldn't be surprised."

"Are you sure he's in there?" She asked as she gave him a slight head nod toward the border.

Dark's eyes lowered slightly at Nikki's question, he then said in a soft sarcastic tone. "It's good that you have faith in me."

"I do, it's just…" The blue hedgehog looked from Dark, to the border, then back at him with almost a pleading look hidden under the surface. "really?"

"Nothing stopped you from crossing that border before."

"Yeah but…"

The midnight hedgehog began lightly tapping his foot. "Alright, what's wrong with you?"

"What are you talking about? There's nothing wrong with me." Nikki answered raising one of her eyebrows.

"You're hesitating…you never hesitate…unless it goes against your moral standard."

"Ugh." The blue hedgehog face palmed herself. "Okay, okay…Lets just say…someone's life might be at stake if I cross that border."

The midnight hedgehog raised one of his eyebrows. "And you're bringing this up now?"

"It's Trace."

"…oh."

"Yeah, I thought that would be your response. Still don't like him I take it?"

Dark rolling his eyes answered that question, he then countered with one of his own. "Why, do you?"

"What, no. I'm still pissed at him." Nikki defended.

Dark whistled. "Didn't know you of all Mobians could hold a grudge."

The hedgehog then looked at the ground. "The thing is…even though I'm angry with him…I would never forgive myself if something happened to him, or anyone because of me."

The midnight hedgehog's expression changed in response to what Nikki just said. He then turned and looked toward an old subway tunnel. "I think I might know a way in without being noticed."

"Tried it, it's blocked off. Too much collapsed junk." The female hedgehog shrugged.

"You forget who you're with quickly, don't you? I can just teleport us on the other side of the debris."

Nikki face palmed herself. "Gah, where the hell is my brain today?"

"Probably still asleep in bed." Dark nearly laughed.

The two hedgehog quickly sped through the subway tunnel and came to one of the exits. They then swiftly ran up the steps and peeked around the corner for a place to get out of the open. To left was the door to the fire escape. They ran in and swiftly closed the door behind them.

As soon as Nikki and Dark snuck into the room, two guns were pulled on them. Swiftly turning around, Nikki extended her spikes on her arms and Dark readied himself, but stopped when they realized there was something familiar about their opponents.

The hedgehog and the black and white cat recognized each other right off the bat. Each one raising an eyebrow, they both asked at the same time. "Don't I know you?"

As Rook shook it off and kept his gun raised, the orange cat recognized the midnight hedgehog and whispered to his comrade. "Hey Rook, that's-"

"I know, Flash." Rook interrupted, not taking his eyes off of the two hedgehogs.

Nikki relaxed when she realized there was no threat. "Guns, really? Come on Rook, you know we're faster than you both can shoot.

"Don't you move." The orange cat said quickly.

Rook then looked to his comrade and whispered. "Flash, calm down."

The orange cat returned Rook's gaze and mouthed. "Calm down? Are you kidding me?"

"Put the gun down." Rook mouthed back.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" Flash mouthed in return.

The black and white cat then gently lowered his weapon and held out his hand. He then said out loud. "Give it."

"But-but-"

"Give." Rook then gave him the motion to hand the gun over.

The orange cat looked to Rook's open palm then looked to his face. The black and white cat raised an eyebrow slightly. Flash then sighed and placed the gun in Rook's hand.

"Thank you." The black and white cat then put the safety back on the gun.

"So what are you guys doing here? I know you work here and all, but how'd you know to come searching for us?" The blue hedgehog asked curiously.

"We live here." Rook answered like it was a fact of life.

"You…live here?" Both hedgehogs looked around the old building from where they stood. It was rundown and by the look of it, the carpet was on the left wall and what used to be the ceiling was now the right wall. "O…kay."

Flash crossed his arms. "Hey, you don't see us going to your place and giving you re-model tips, do you?"

"Easy Flash." Rook warned his comrade. He then answered the other part of Nikki's question. "So, we weren't looking for two. You guys pretty much barged in."

The blue hedgehog rubbed the back of her head in slight embarrassment. "Whoops, sorry about that."

"Alright, now it's our turn. What are you two doing back in Former Station Square?" Rook asked.

"We're looking for someone." Dark answered.

Flash, obviously out of the loop completely with whatever happened earlier, just looked back and forth as his comrade and the hedgehogs talked.

"Oh boy, not again. Look guys, I'd love to help, but I can't keep pulling strings every single time one of your guys tries to-"

"It's not one of ours." The midnight hedgehog interrupted.

"Oh…then who is it?"

Nikki asked this time around. "Have you ever heard of a guy named Dr. Phoenix?"

The black and white cat crossed his arms. "Why do you need to know where he is?"

"So, you know him?"

"Yes, I know him. He worked with my dad on a few forensics cases. But that's beside the point here. He is a friend of mine so answer my question. Why are you looking for him?"

"It's a little long to explain. Long story short, he treated Jodi and she's not feeling well. We need to find out more about him and what he found out."

"…You do know there's a law against that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know the whole patient-doctor-confidential-thing."

Dark smirked at Nikki's definition. "Is that _really_ one word?"

The blue hedgehog looked back to her comrade. "Work with me here." She then sighed and continued. "Look, the point is her life is at stake here. Is a law really more important than that?"

Rook looked into Nikki's eyes and her expression and he could tell there were no sinister plots in her intentions. Whatever information she would get from the doctor wouldn't be used against someone else, but to save them. Showing his agreement to help them, the black and white cat nodded. "Alright, I'll lead you to where he lives. But you must promise you will not tell a soul, got it?"

"You got it." The blue hedgehog nodded.

"Right, follow me." The black and white cat then took off back out toward the subway exit, his comrade following close behind.

Nikki and Dark ran in after them. After both hedgehogs caught up to them with no trouble, Nikki slowed down next to the black and white cat. "So, why are we going back out through the subway? I thought he lived here in Former Station Square."

"He does, he just lives underground. His former place of business collapsed under one of those buildings. The entrance to his new facility is outside the border. That way, he could come and go as he pleases without border patrol noticing."

"Huh, that makes sense."

The black and white cat then leapt up onto an emergency escape ladder in the rundown subway and climbed up. He slowly opened the hatch above and looked around, making sure there was no one patrolling the area outside. "All clear."

Nikki climbed up first, followed by Dark then Flash. Rook then swiftly lead the group to the side of another building and stopped at the corner. A spotlight moved by and once it passed his path, the black cat darted across the next building, the others flawlessly followed every move.

There were quite a few rundown buildings outside of the border. Rook seemed to have his eyes set on one that was among a clutter of toppled buildings in the distance. The group dashed toward the modern ruins and hid between two buildings as the spotlight panned toward them. The light passed over them, but the group remained hidden in the shadows of the small alley.

Once the light was gone, Rook opened the door to one of the buildings and walked inside. When the others got to the door, the black and white cat had pulled open a trap door garage that lead down at a steady slope. The entrance was wide enough to allow a small truck to pass through. That was when Nikki and Dark noticed that this wasn't the entrance to a normal building, but possibly an entrance to some kind of underground testing facility or hospital.

As soon as the group ran in, the garage door closed. Lights along the floor and walls turned on automatically in the darkness.

* * *

Author's Note: So, one of these doctors could possibly be responsible for Jodi's condition being un-curable. Which one do you think it is? Dr. Pheonix or Dr. Lochheart?

Find out in the next chapter of Sonic's Legacy.

For Update information...Check my profile :)


	22. Chapter 39: Phoenix

Wahoo! Next Chapter is up! YAY! XD

Gotta love multi-tasking. Sorry it still took me so long to get this up. School is awesome, but I don't have as much time to write as I used to. But, I'm still not giving up :D

Reviews-

Thank you guys so much for the reviews. You have no idea how much that helps me. :D

Only one anonymous review.

soniplushie: Love the name by the way, very cute :D Huh, Sonic born on Christmas Island? Really? I had absolutely no idea. Thanks, I might just add that somewhere. No, I haven't gotten that game yet, but I want it so bad (rofl) It looks so fun. I think I'll ask for that for Christmas. :D

Anyway, here's Chapter 39!

Enjoy! :D

* * *

_**Chapter 39: Phoenix**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

Slowly, the door opened to reveal a dark room. The black and white cat took a step in and scanned the room, letting his night vision see through the darkness.

His fur suddenly stood up when he heard his fire-furred comrade yell behind him. "Hey Doc! You in here?"

Rook whipped around and covered Flash's mouth. "Shh, what are you doing? What if he's working on something explosive, do you want us to be blown sky high?" He whispered.

After Rook let him go, Flash responded. "Sorry, didn't think about that."

The black and white cat rolled his eyes. "Of course you didn't."

The two cats walked in, Nikki and Dark followed and looked around the room from where they stood.

"Looks like the place has been raided." Dark muttered as he used his night vision and looked around the room.

The black and white cat heard something clatter in the far end of the room and ducked down out of instinct. His eyes remained focused on that corner of the room as he warned. "Whoever did this might still be in here. Keep your eyes open."

Rook and Flash took their pistols out and began to sweep the area.

Dark crept up to a door that was cracked open near where they entered, debating on whether or not to enter.

Nikki snuck around and used the couch as cover. Suddenly she heard something moving and ducked down. As she peeked around the couch, she suddenly got the feeling she was being watched. Hearing a soft click, the female hedgehog dashed away from the couch. The second she bolted, the couch was struck by two tazer needles, which violently fried the couch's fabric.

"Whoa!" Nikki yelled as the sparks just barely licked at her foot. Before the others knew what was going on, Nikki found where the deadly tazers came from and then quickly threw the intruder toward the center of the room. The stranger groaned as he tried to figure out what had just happened.

The hedgehog recognized the expression on the man's face. She was able to read him like an open book as the man closed his eyes tightly shut. _Oh shit…I'm dead._

But, when the beating didn't follow, the man took another look at who was standing over him. Most of Nikki's form was hidden by the surrounding darkness, the only thing that was barely visible, was her bright emerald irises. "…you…but…it couldn't be." The man staggered in shock.

Nikki stepped back, allowing the man to get back up into a sitting position. Rook and Flash looked at each other, then put their guns away when they realized there was no danger. Dark gave Nikki a look asking if she needed him to intervene. But Nikki returned his look by raising her hand and giving him a 'stay there' kind of motion.

"You're Doctor Phoenix right? Are you okay?" The female hedgehog asked.

"Yes I'm…wait…" The doctor then looked closely at the female hedgehog and realized that silhouette had deceived him and the voice he heard had proved she wasn't who he thought she was. "…Who are you?"

Rook answered for her. "Doctor, this is Sonica, she's Sonic's daughter."

"Sonica…right…okay…wicked resemblance." Doctor Phoenix seemed to be shocked that, not only was this female hedgehog strong enough to throw him right over her shoulder, but that she did look exactly like Sonic in the lack of light.

The female hedgehog crossed her arms and gave a light smirk. " 'Wicked' huh? Never heard that term before."

The doctor then shook off his initial shock. "I do apologize. I thought you were that Exus Dusk that barged in here earlier."

"An Exus Dusk?" Instead of looking surprised, Nikki simply rolled her eyes. "Oh boy, not one of those again." She then face palmed herself. "Ugh, I always get confused with them."

Realizing that there was no longer a threat, the midnight hedgehog leaned against the door frame. "You and me both." Dark added with a nod.

"Sorry for tossin' you around like a rag doll, Doc." Nikki apologized.

Dr. Phoenix shook his head. "No, no. It's quite alright. You were defending yourself."

"I suggest you stay where you are until we get the lights back on." Rook then glanced around the room. "Where's your emergency power located?"

"On the wall, there should be a panel with a lever." The doctor answered.

The black and white cat nodded then walked over to the wall with a metal plate. He then lifted the metal panel and pulled the switch inside. The lights flickered for a moment, then ignited in a bright and brilliant white light that nearly blinded everyone in the room. The lights then dimmed a little, losing their intensity.

"Wow, that's bright." the orange tabby blinked as he tried to get his vision back.

"Not surprised." The doctor said as he lowered his sleeve after he covered his eyes. "This bunker is so old, and I'm no electrician either."

Now Nikki was able to see what Dr. Phoenix looked like. His bronze hair looked to have been combed back at one time, but a few strands broke from their formation, just barely touching his eyebrows. Grey blue eyes shined as they reflected the lights. His 'lab coat' wasn't a lab coat at all, but was a dark leather trench coat that was just as long. His tie was askew and his white dress shirt's collar was messed up and out of line, as well as one side wasn't tucked in at the bottom. After standing up and dusting himself off, the doctor turned to the black and white cat. "So Rook, why did you bring them here?"

"These two wanted to ask you a few questions. I know that you knew Sonic, so I figured Nikki finding out about you wouldn't be a bad idea." Rook answered.

"Well…alright then." Dr. Phoenix turned to the female hedgehog next to him. "Since I almost barbequed you earlier, I'd say information is the least I could make up for it."

Nikki raised one of her eyebrows, "Alright. First of all, Jodi Ferret, is she one of your patients?"

"You do know that's confidential information, right?"

"Which can be told to a family member in the event that the patient's life is at risk." Rook answered.

"Father's son alright." Dr. Phoenix muttered.

"She grew up in Stern Orphanage, just like me." The blue hedgehog added. "I know her better than anyone. I'm the only family she has."

"Well, I would say call her to confirm that, but my phone is in pieces by the wall." The doctor nearly laughed.

"Sonica's trustworthy enough, I can tell." The black and white cat said as he gave a determined look.

Seeing Rook's confidence, Dr. Phoenix sighed. "If you say she is, I trust your judgment." The doctor then looked back to Nikki. "This is usually against my practice, but if Jodi really needs help, I'll be more than happy to tell you anything you need to know."

Now knowing full well that doctor was going to answer questions without holding back, Nikki nodded. "Okay, how did she know how to contact you?"

"Well I knew her parents. Her father and I were colleagues in medical school."

"So you already knew about her background?"

"Mostly, he was secretive when it came to his personal life. That tends to happen when you work for G.U.N. He did tell me he was married and had a daughter, but that was all."

"When saw her two weeks ago, did you happen to take any blood samples?"

"I saw her twice. The first time she contacted me three weeks ago. Heh, that surprised me, considering I should no longer be any registry."

"That's my Sis." Nikki said with a smile.

"Anyway, the first time I saw her, she seemed fine. However she insisted that I take a blood sample and test it. Obviously she already had an idea of what could be wrong with her. So, I took it on request."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What did the results say?"

"Well, she has an incredibly high immune system…here, it's better if I show you." The doctor then pulled a small screen out of his pocket that looked like a digital map. He then opened it, allowing it to suspend in mid-air. "Now these levels here tell her white blood cell count. As you can see they are unusually high, this suggests that there could an infection of some sort." Dr. Phoenix then looked back to Nikki. "I take it you already know the reason why, otherwise you wouldn't be here. Now, here's the next sample I took. This was when I came back the second time. She had an episode and called me after it had occurred."

"Episode?"

"It's what we call what happens when someone's body goes from being at rest to suddenly doing something out of character. Example, a seizure, or in Jodi's case a cardiac arrhythmia."

"Unstable heart beat." Dark answered when he noticed Nikki looking back to him after what sounded like a foreign language.

"Exactly. Our heart maintains a steady rhythm, regardless of how fast it's beating. But when something goes wrong, like in Jodi's case, the hole in her heart upsets that rhythm. This can also cause her heart to stop during one of these episodes."

After hearing that, Nikki's own heart felt like it was about to do just that…stop. Realizing that freaking out wouldn't help the situation, the hedgehog quickly shook it off. "So, you were saying about the other sample?"

"Oh right, sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Don't worry about it. That's what we're here for right, answers?"

Dark felt that this was unusual for Nikki. Though she is impatient and likes to get to the point, the blue hedgehog seemed like she just wanted to get off topic more than to the answer. Although, given the sensitivity of that said topic, Dark could see why. He couldn't even imagine how she felt right now. There were so many thoughts going through her head he didn't even want to try and filter them all.

"Right." The doctor then turned to the screen and continued. "So, the second sample had the same readings, but there was something else in there. At first, I thought it was the after effects of an antibiotic, but when I looked closer…"

As soon as Dr. Phoenix scrolled in on the screen, Nikki recognized it instantly. _That's the anti-mech._

Dark read into that right away and then asked. "You didn't give her anything that could change the results?"

"Well, I gave her antibiotics of course, but nothing that would do this."

"Sounds like the Exus that broke in here wanted to get their hands on it. What ever it is." Dark said with a nod, leaving out the fact that he knew what it was.

"That's the thing, I _don't_ know what this is. I've never seen this before in my life."

Nikki looked at the doctor and could tell, he was genuinely confused about this. That's when she knew, he wasn't behind it at all.

The doctor continued. "But let me tell you, what ever this is, it's resilient. I tested out a ton of variables on this thing using a program. Every virus code, every antibiotic, I mean everything…it's kicked it, completely out of the system. Putting that girl's immune system with…whatever the hell that is…it's the perfect defense. Only problem…that means anything that we give her to help control those symptoms, nothing will work."

Nikki's gaze moved from the doctor to the floor. "That's a problem." She then returned her gaze back to Dr. Phoenix. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Well, I'm not sure if there is. I still need to look at this more closely, but I'm not sure of how much time we actually have here."

The blue hedgehog paused for a minute, debating on whether or not she could reveal what she was going to say. But, she decided that Jodi's wellbeing was more important than a secret. "What if I was to tell you that there are others that are looking into this as well, would you consider working with them?"

Dr. Phoenix seemed surprised by this. "What? There are others? Who do you mean?"

"Does the name Miles 'Tails' Prower ring any bells?" Nikki added.

"Tails? You mean Sonic's brother?"

Nikki was relieved that Dr. Phoenix not only recognized Tails, but also referred to him as her father's brother. The blue hedgehog gave a light nod. "Yep, that's him."

"Sonica…" The doctor sighed and looked away for a minute. It looked as though something was bothering him. "…Jodi's father was more than my colleague…he was my friend. I'm not tied down by the rules of Former Station Square." Dr. Phoenix then turned to the two cats. "No offense, Rook."

The black and white cat shrugged. "Hey, I don't like the way things are run there as of late either. I don't blame you Doctor."

"Yeah, me neither." Flash added with smile.

"Then why are you guys still there? It makes no since." Nikki looked at them confused.

"It's complicated." Rook answered. "Lets just say there's some loyalties that we still have there."

The doctor then continued. "But since I'm not with any organization, I can act freely. If you think that Tails or anyone else can help solve this, I would be more than happy to help in any way that I can."

Nikki looked to Dr. Phoenix. She couldn't help but be lifted by his willingness to help Jodi. The blue hedgehog gave him a nod and smiled. "Thanks Doc."

"Now as soon as I get my place back in order-" The doctor then sighed annoyingly. "As well as fix the bloody security system…I'll give Tails a call. Which reminds me, whats the best way of contacting him anyway?"

"Oh right…" Nikki then took a piece of scrap paper from the ground, she then took a pen out of her quills and quickly wrote town the number. "Okay, this is my call number. I can patch you through to Tails or anyone else, when it's safe. The Exus have been doing something to the satellites or something, so it's not safe to just call whenever. My communicator has a signal that blocks it."

"Wait a minute, the Exus are tapping into the satellites now?" Rook interrupted.

"You guys didn't know that?" Dark asked.

The two cats looked at each other and blinked. Flash then spoke out loud. "Well, that explains a lot."

"Indeed it does." Rook agreed as he thought. "We've been having some problems with the Exus as of late. Not so much that they're starting trouble, but they seem to know what our next move is. You may have just solved our problem Sonica, thank you."

"Ah don't mention it." Nikki said as she scratched the back of her head.

"Then it's settled, I'll contact you once everything's set." The doctor confirmed.

"Right, and I'll let Tails know so that he will expect your call." She then gave the doctor a confusing look. "But, are you sure you wanna just stay here? We have more than enough room where we're from."

"No, I'm alright. Like Rook said, there are citizens here that depend on me as well. With the way circumstances are now, I'm needed here more than ever."

"What kind of circumstances?"

The doctor shook his head. "Not my place to say." He then turned to the black and white cat. "Rook?"

But rook shook his head. "Not my place either. Until I get the word from my supervisor, that's classified."

"Gah, come on." Nikki face palmed herself and shook her head. "What ever it is, we can help you."

"Do I dare ask who is your supervisor?" Dark asked with a slightly annoyed tone, like he had his idea of who it might be before he asked.

"Valor Komodo." Flash answered.

"Of course it is." Nikki and Dark said at the same time. The blue hedgehog rolled her eyes.

"Take it you guys don't like him?" Dr. Phoenix asked.

"No, he's just thick headed." Nikki answered.

"Hey! That's our troop leader you're bad mouthing, hedgehog!" Flash yelled.

"Flash, leave it."

"But Rook she-"

"Leave it."

"Look, I'm not trying to cause a fight here, okay?" Nikki reasoned. "The guy didn't exactly make a good first impression with me you know."

The black and white cat rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't doubt that. I have respect for Valor, but he is a little quick to pull the trigger." He then looked to the orange tabby next to him. "Like someone else I know."

"Hey, who's side are you on here?" Flash retorted.

Suddenly, Nikki's ears perked up and she on full alert. She looked toward the left wall, but it seemed like was looking toward something further than that.

Dark picked up his comrades uneasiness and spoke up. "What is it?"

"Something's not right…" The blue hedgehog whispered. She then quickly looked to her comrade across from her. "We have to go."

Dark nodded and then took off out the exit, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to teleport inside the complex.

Nikki stopped at the door and looked back. She then said quickly. "It was nice meeting you guys. Sorry we gotta take off, bye!" She then dashed off.

"Wha-Wait!" The doctor tried to say one last thing, but she was already gone. "Aaaand, she's gone."

* * *

Author's Note: Oh boy, what is it now?

I know, it's a short chapter, but everything for this chapter is done, now to move on to the next one. XD

So we know that Dr. Phoenix is a good guy, that's good. But now what did Nikki sense? Are the Exus finally on the move once again?

The action continues, next chapter of Sonic's Legacy!

For Update information…check my profile. :D


	23. Chapter 40: Lochheart

Hi everyone! I'm still alive. :D

The holidays were crazy and...well...heck I'm not here to tell you about my story, I'm here to tell you Nikki's right? XD

It's about...5 am here right now and I would normally answer Reviews here...but...I'm having difficulty seeing my own screen as it is right now lol. Too tired. I'll answer them sometime later today after sunrise...or lunch...yeah lunch sounds good XD.

Edit: Okay, so here we go with those reviews :D

Looks like there's just one anonymous review for this chapter.

dream: Awe thanks :) Yeah, it is sad. I completely agree, I love Dark's romantic side towards Nikki. I especially love the banter between those two lol. Thanks for the review.

Anyway, here's Chapter 40! Enjoy :D

* * *

_**Chapter 40: Lochheart**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

"Okay, Professor Lochheart should be here." The lynx looked over toward a metal building. It was very strange compared to the rest of the buildings, which were made from the same stone the cave was made of or the old ruins from the Ancient Echidnas so thousands of years ago. He turned to the ferret next to him, concern was still hiding behind his eyes. "Are you sure you're up for this? If you're tired, I can take you back to Professor Charles' place."

The ferret shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. I'm not that fragile, Gyro."

"Oh…right." The lynx was now regretting being overly concerned for her. He was sensing he was making her uncomfortable. "You said that Nikki and Dark went to find Dr. Phoenix, right?"

Jodi gave him a light nod. "Yes they did. I wish I could've given them more information though. Finding someone that doesn't wish to be found isn't easy."

"Hey, don't worry about it. If anyone can track that guy down, it's Dark." Gyro then turned his attention back to the door. "The only thing we can do now is do our part. It's a good thing I know Dr. Lochheart, this'll make things much easier."

The lynx then knocked on the door. "Dr. Lochheart? Are you there?" When no one answered, Gyro knocked again. "Doctor, it's Gyro."

Suddenly, a voice came up on the intercom. "Gyro who?"

The lynx pressed a button on the intercom. "Really? How many Gyros do you know?"

"Hmm…Gyro…Gyro…Oh! Charles' protégé."

"I…guess you can say that."

The intercom buzzed. "Right, come on in."

Gyro looked back to Jodi and then opened the door.

"Doctor Lochheart, are you feeling alright?" Gyro asked as he peeked his head in the door.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine my boy. Sorry about that. Had a long night." The voice answered from the next room.

"It's quite alright, I just had a few questions."

"Sure, just give me a moment, I'll be right with you."

Seeing that the lynx seemed to be a little apprehensive, Jodi touched his shoulder and whispered. "Gyro, what is it?"

Gyro glanced back at her, then returned her worried question with a reassuring soft tone. "His voice sounds a little different, probably was up all night working or something. I'm sure it's fine."

But something still didn't seem to feel right to the lynx. _Why didn't he remember me? And just now…his voice…_

Gyro suddenly became alert. "Professor, are you sure everything's okay? You don't need any help with anything?" Gyro was trying to find out why he was on edge. If the professor was being held captive in the next room, he knew that the professor would repeat the word 'help' back to him in the next sentence. The lynx waited and listened for Lochheart's reply.

"I already told you kid, I'm fine." The voice laughed.

Gyro's eyes widened. He tried to keep himself calm, but he had no idea what he was dealing with here. The professor didn't repeat the word 'help' back, so that wasn't what set the lynx off. What _did _shock Gyro, was _how _the professor said that last line. _His voice tone…it's completely off…_

The lynx whispered softly to the ferret behind him. "Jodi…head back to the door."

"Ah, leaving already lad…" The keeper of the voice suddenly walked into the room. The two Mobians couldn't believe what they were seeing. It looked like the professor, but his form slowly began to change, as if he was having a hard time keeping himself together. _**"I thought you needed answers."**_

"Holy Chaos…" Gyro whispered out of shock.

Jodi hid behind Gyro, obviously frightened. "Gyro…That's a Sleeper, how is it able to do that?"

"_**What? Never heard of an upgrade my dear?" **_The creature smiled deviously.

The lynx's eyes narrowed. "Yeah…I bet that's _exactly _what you did." Gyro then raised his hand up, ready to defend. "Jodi, stay calm and stay behind me."

But the robot just laughed at Gyro's efforts. _**"Do you honestly think a tinker toy like you can defend both of you? I know everything about you, Nanitan…Your strengths…as well as your weaknesses."**_

Jodi's ears slanted backward. "Gyro…"

Suddenly, the robot charged right toward the lynx, but he quickly created a shield and blocked the robot's attack, he then gently grabbed Jodi and then made a break for the door. But the robot pushed off the shield and then landed between Gyro and the door. The lynx slowed down and back peddled, putting distance between him, Jodi and the robot.

The Exus Sleeper lashed it's tail out toward the two Mobians, but Gyro caught the bladed tail with his hand. He knew he wouldn't be injured by it, but he wanted to make sure the blade didn't touch Jodi. Gyro then sent some of his nanites toward the robot, but the robot freed his tail from Gyro's grip then tried to moved out of the nanites' path. The swarm of nanites sliced right through the robot's arm, which fell to the floor with a loud clang.

Gyro didn't let his guard down, not even for a second.

The robot snickered as it's wires reattached, pulling the arm back into socket. _**"I see that you're not surprised I can keep myself together…"**_

Then the robot did something that was unusual to Gyro. His eyes widened as he witnessed that instead of making a weapon out of it's arm like an Exus Sleeper normally would, the robot pulled out what looked to be a handgun. _**"…Lets see if you can do the same."**_

The Nanitan lynx stood in front of Jodi, he knew that as long as she was behind him, his nanites would keep her safe as well.

It all went by in the blink of an eye. The robot fired the gun and Gyro turned his arm into a shield. If it had been a bullet or a laser the nanites would've deflected it, but what did happen was something Gyro never expected. Something sharp hit the shield and sent what felt like a pulse through his arm. He felt the pressure push him back toward the wall, but he caught himself before Jodi hit the back wall, making sure he didn't slam into her.

At first, it felt like what would be a bee sting to a living Mobian. Gyro's shield turned back into his arm and he shook his hand, surprised that it did actually hurt.

"_**Feel it yet?" **_The robot sneered as it twisted it's wrist back into place.

Both Gyro and Jodi didn't like the sound of that. _What did this freak just do?_

Gyro still stood his ground, his eyes narrowed as he stared down the robot just across from him. Suddenly, the lynx noticed something that never happened to him before…his vision became blurry, fading in and out of focus. Now Gyro was sure that something was wrong with him, but for Jodi's sake he stayed calm and tried to focus his vision.

"_**Now, lets see you block this!" **_The robot stretched his arm across the room toward Gyro at lightning speed.

The lynx gently moved Jodi out of the way and took the hit head on, the metal arm pinning him against the wall.

Jodi couldn't help but yell. "Gyro!"

"_**Oh, I would be more worried about yourself my dear."**_ Just at that moment, the sinister robot sent his other arm toward the ferret. But before the robot could touch her, Gyro dematerialized and then quickly reformed in front of her. He then blocked the Exus Sleeper's attack.

"_**Hmm, well met. I'm impressed…" **_The robot's eyes glowed, it's voice was laced with venom. _**"…You're stronger than I estimated. That anti-mech I shot you with should've taken you out by now."**_

"What!" Jodi was shocked, if that was really what the robot shot at Gyro and it did hit him, it might as well have been poison or acid.

The lynx allowed a growl to escape him, but then sighed slowly. Even though he knew what was going to happen to him, he still thought of Jodi, keeping himself calm for her sake. "Jodi…I need you to get out of here."

"But Gyro, you can't-"

"I don't want you to get hurt…I can stop him, but only if I know you're safe." Though Gyro didn't say it, he was dreading the thought of him going down and leaving Jodi trapped with this monster. "I'll be right behind you."

"Don't give me that." Jodi couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Don't talk to me like I don't understand what's happening here." With that, the ferret stood up. She was doing her best to hide her fear, but it still showed itself in her sapphire eyes. "I'm not leaving you here, not like this."

Gyro glanced back and gave her a shocking look. "…Jodi."

The two were interrupted by heartless, mechanical laughter. _**"This is pathetic. Fine, if your wish is to die together…I'll be honored to grant it."**_

The robot then lashed out one of it's arms toward Jodi, but Gyro grabbed the robot's wrist in tight grip and pushed it against the floor.

"Don't flatter yourself, you're nothing but a cheap excuse for an imitation." The lynx mocked. "So what is it? Being able to kill and roboticize Mobians not good enough for you, you have to take over their lives too?"

"_**As smart as you two think you are, you still don't get it do you?" **_The robot's voice suddenly became sinister. _**"Think about it Gyro, it's a simple rule of life…What does a species do when they want to take over a desired habitat? Judging by your look, you already know the answer…they wipe out the existing population that stands in their way. And the best way to do that… is to infiltrate."**_

"Bloody bastard." Gyro muttered behind a low growl.

Suddenly, Gyro's arm that was holding the Exus Sleeper's arm down sparked. It then disassembled for a brief moment, freeing the robot's arm, which returned to it's owner. Gyro felt the effects of the anti-mech in full force and had to catch himself before he fell to the floor.

"Gyro!" Jodi yelled.

The lynx looked like he was shaking, but it was more serious than that. _It's taking all the energy I have…just to keep myself from falling apart…_

But somehow, Gyro was able to overcome it and forced himself back to his feet. "You talk as if…you understand life and how it works…but you can't be more wrong…Life is…something more complicated than that…no matter how much information you gather about it…you will never learn it's true purpose…"

"_**Is that so? Then tell me…what am I doing that is so different than what you are trying to achieve? Disguising yourself as a Mobian just to be accepted. You don't realize how alike you and I truly are. Do you honestly think that someone can feel for you?"**_

The robot's voice then became eerily smooth and soft. _**"It's not too late…I can still save you. All you have to do…is join us."**_

The lynx looked at the robot for a moment, it was like he didn't believe that this robot was actually offering to 'help' him. He then laughed in between breaths. "Do you…honestly think…that I would ever agree to that? And you call _me_ pathetic?"

Gyro then looked at the Exus Sleeper, even though he was a machine, his eyes showed searing anger and determination. "I…would rather perish…than betray my friends…"

The robot's eye lights narrowed, as if it was angered by Gyro's answer. _**"So be it."**_

The Exus Sleeper then held up it's arm and fired an energy blast. Gyro saw this coming and used the rest of his strength to shove Jodi out of harm's way. The blast brightened up the room and was strong enough to shake the foundation of the lab.

As soon as the light dimmed, Jodi shook off the fine dust like debris from the ceiling and looked toward where she last saw Gyro. The lynx was pinned down to the floor, the robot's massive arm threatened to crush his now weakened chest structure. The anti-mech had rendered him completely helpless.

In one swift motion, Jodi suddenly took something out of one of her jacket pockets and ran toward the robot. She jumped up and drove it into one of the robot's eyes and then landed and quickly covered her eyes and folded her ears flat against her head. The flash grenade went off and a bright flash and a loud ringing noise echoed off the walls.

"_**AAAUUGGHH! You vermin! You'll pay for that!"**_

The robot tried to lash out and grab Jodi, but the robot could no longer see or hear her. She knew she didn't have much time before the robot would recover.

Jodi franticly searched through her jacket pockets, only to find them all empty. _Crap! I don't have anything else, that was my last flash bomb!_

The robot began to tear the place apart, trying to search for his assailant. _**"Filthy Rat! When I find you, you are going to beg me to end you!"**_

Suddenly, something rammed into the iron door from the outside. The robot stopped thrashing as it heard the sound. The familiar sound of a chainsaw began to rise. The iron door caved in and a blue comet ran into the robot head on, grinding it's back against the metal floor. The agonizing screech rang out and sparks flew until the robot collided with the wall, it's attacker standing over it.

"Touch my sister…and your face will end up _exactly_ like that door." The hedgehog's look changed from anger to surprise when she actually got a better look at the robot. "Actually…never mind, it looks like someone beat me to it."

"Nikki !" Jodi called out from where she was.

The hedgehog answered without taking her eyes off of the robot in front of her. "Hey Sis, be with you in a min-." Suddenly, the robot's eye lights came back on and he tried to grab Nikki by the throat. But the quick moving hedgehog stepped to the side and avoided the attack. "Whoa!"

However, in doing that, the robot had the room to get free.

Nikki smirked. "Well aren't you a feisty rust-bucket."

"Nikki, it's a Sleeper. Be careful." Jodi warned.

"Eh, I fought these things before Sis, I got this." The hedgehog said confidently.

"_**Oh my dear, you shouldn't underestimate your opponent. You wouldn't want to end up like your friend."**_

The previously confident hedgehog's eyes narrowed angrily at the robot's sinister comment. "What did you do?"

Just at that moment, a familiar midnight hedgehog ran in and stopped at the doorway. His eyes narrowed when he saw the sinister monster before him, and he let out a low angry growl.

The robot stepped back, realizing that both hedgehogs would be too much for the robot to handle in it's current condition. The Exus Sleeper then leapt up into the rafters and made it's escape through one of the skylights.

Just as Nikki took a step to chase after the robot, she heard Jodi behind her. "Gyro, stay with me."

Without even hesitating, the female hedgehog ran to her comrade's side. She didn't know what had happened or what was happening to him, but that wasn't important at that moment. Nikki had worked with Gyro on missions for a long time, and she had never seen him in as much pain as he was in now. "…Gyro? Look at me, Gyro."

The Nanitan lynx recognized his comrade's voice and obeyed her. "N…Nikki…ugh."

"We better get you to my Uncle Charlie." Nikki reached down to help Gyro up, but when she tried to grab his shoulder, her hand phased completely through him. "What on Mobius?"

"Sorry…I'm…having a hard enough time…keeping this form as it is…"

"So, I can't move you…okay, how about bringing help here then?"

The ferret next her shook her head. "Can't do that either…there's not enough time to run there and back and there's nothing we can use here that can help."

"Well you know what's going on here better than I do Sis, what do we do then?"

Both girls nearly jumped when they heard a swirling sound behind them. Thinking it was the robot returning, Nikki swiftly turned around. But what she saw confused her. Dark had opened up a portal right outside the door.

"Dark, what are you-"

"I have an idea. Stay here, I'll be back." With that, the midnight hedgehog ran through the portal and disappeared.

Both girls looked at each other. Reading her 'sister's' worried expression, Nikki reassured. "Don't worry, Dark knows what he's doing."

_Nikki, can you hear me?_

Nikki recognized that voice right away, Dark was communicating with her telepathically. Besides being able to read minds, this was the first time he ever actually tried to send his own thoughts to someone else. "Dark? Yeah I hear you."

_I'm going to try something, I don't think I've ever done this before. But before I do, you and Jodi need to step back._

"Right." Nikki then turned to Jodi. "Jodi, no time to explain but we need to back up."

Being able to get an idea of what Dark could be planning Jodi nodded and the two girls backed away from Gyro. "Okay Dark, we're clear."

Suddenly a portal opened up under Gyro, allowing the lynx to gently fall through the floor and disappear.

_Um…Dark…that was you, wasn't it? _Nikki asked a little confused.

_If you mean Gyro phasing through the floor, yes. I can't bring you both the same way, I don't know if Jodi will be able to handle it. You'll have to run back._

_Okay, meet you both there. _"Alright Jodi, lets get out of here."

* * *

_**Narrator: Sonica (Nikki)**_

As soon as Jodi and I got to Uncle Charlie's, we found out that Dark had passed out. I kind of expected that, Dark had been working on his Chaos Control the past few days. That was the first time he was able to use it while inside a building. I'm sure it took a lot out of him.

Now that there was an Exus Sleeper on the loose, everyone was on edge. I don't blame them, I was every bit as paranoid as they were. Knuckles and my grandfather, Jules, were searching the city along with the guards. As much as I wanted to help track that thing down, I knew I had to stay behind. I couldn't leave Jodi to deal with this on her own. So, I convinced myself that I was guarding the lab.

I spent most of the evening pacing the halls, glancing at the clock in the living room every time I passed it. It had been almost twelve hours since Jodi and I came in and heard that Uncle Charlie was with Gyro in the lab. We had called Tails as soon as we got there too and he came as fast as he could to help…But still, I couldn't help but worry about Gyro.

_I shouldn't have left. How could I even think it was good idea to leave when we knew one those doctors was…ugh, I'm such an idiot._

Looking back now, I shouldn't have been so hard on myself. How could any of us had known that the Exus Sleeper could disguise themselves as other Mobians? When Jodi warned us about that before Knuckles and my grandfather left to look for it, I still couldn't believe it. What was even more surprising, was that the Sleeper was able to fool Gyro, who was a Nanitan! On our missions, he was able to sense Exus robots faster than me…it's still so hard to believe that Gyro was caught off guard so easily.

I decided before I wore a hole in Uncle Charlie's living floor to walk toward the lab. I was planning on just waiting by the lab door, what I didn't expect…was that someone else had the same idea.

I thought that she would be sleeping at this hour. But there she was, sitting just across from the door. It shouldn't have surprised me, Jodi was just as worried about Gyro as I was. Maybe even more than that, considering how much she cared about him. Besides, she understood more about what was going on than I did.

Jodi noticed I was standing at the corner of the hall and looked at me. I never thought I would see that look in her eyes…she was completely heartbroken…and my own heart was breaking along with her. Slowly, I walked up to her. I wanted to say something, I wanted to tell her that everything was going to be fine. But the truth was, I had no idea how this was going to turn out. No matter how optimistic I normally was, I wasn't about to tell her or myself a lie like that.

So, I decided to ask her something obvious. "Can't sleep either, huh?"

Jodi gently shook her head back and forth.

"I just came back here to…yeah, um. If you wanna be alone, I'll just go back to-"

"Nikki, can you stay…please…"

I gave her a nod and sat right next to her on the floor. "Hey, you're my Sis, if you want me here, I'm here."

"Thank you."

I couldn't help but let out a sigh and brush my bangs out of my face. "Yeah well, this isn't the first time I had to wait outside a surgery door. This is much better though, not as creepy."

"That wasn't the night you came to see me, was it?"

"No, that was Dark." I answered, probably a little too quickly.

"What? What happened to him?"

"He was searching an old Eggman base when a healing tank exploded in a fight with an Exus Elite."

"Oh Chaos."

Noticing her worried look, I quickly reassured her. "Oh no, he's fine now, that was a month ago. He's still recovering from it though."

"I can imagine, I'm surprised he survived that at all."

"Why?"

"The liquid inside healing tanks is dangerous when exposed to air. Oxygen from breathing masks are fine, but the different levels in other molecules like hydrogen and-…I'm losing you again aren't I?"

I shook my head. "No, no you're fine. I get it." …sort of.

My 'sister' looked back to the door. She then seemed to stare off into space, like her mind was somewhere else. It was dark, but I still caught a glimpse of tears that were now coming from her bright blue eyes. "…Nikki…I'm terrified…if he's…I can't…"

"Hey, hold on a sec Sis. We can't give up on him. We haven't even heard anything yet." I was doing my best to not only convince her, but myself. The truth was, I had the same fear she did. I couldn't stand the thought of something happening to Gyro. Next to Jodi, he was my best friend. I hated feeling so helpless, not being able to make things right. Not only that, I was worried that Jodi might start one of those episode things that Dr. Phoenix talked about.

There was a quivering tone to her voice when she answered. "I know…I know…it's just that…it's my fault he's in there right now…He would've been able to defend himself if he wasn't worried about-"

I had to interrupt her. "Whoa no, no. Wait a minute. None of this is your fault, don't blame yourself."

"Then what do you think, Nikki?" Jodi looked at me, there was still pain behind her eyes. "You tell me."

I have to admit, I was caught of guard for a moment, though I didn't dare show it to her. I still didn't know exactly what happened back at Lochheart's lab. But I did know one thing, what happened there wasn't anyone's fault but that…thing that was still running loose out there at that very moment.

"Jodi…" At that moment, I wrapped my arms around her. I wanted her to know that she wasn't alone, that I was there for her. Even more than that…I wanted her to realize the truth in my own words. "Put yourself in his shoes…wouldn't you have done the same thing?"

I felt her nod and embrace me tighter.

"I might not act like it sometimes, but I've been through a lot. Sometimes…bad things happen, things that we wish never happened in the first place. But wishing to go back and change it all…or even blaming yourself for what happened…it doesn't help. And…it's not what they would've wanted either."

When she released me, she whispered. "Is that what you're going to tell yourself…when that 'something' happens to me?"

_Damn it, Jodi. You and your hard questions._

I know that she had told me before that she wouldn't want me to feel terrible whe…_if_ something like that happened to her. But I also know from experience, of course you'll feel that way when it happens to you, but the moment it happens to someone else, when you lose someone you're close to, it kind of throws your perspective off a little for a while. Fear kind of has a way of doing that to folks.

"Well…I do know one thing…" I caught sight of Jodi looking at me as I continued. "If something like that happened to me…I would want them to keep going. The world won't stop for me, why should someone else?" I wasn't paying too much attention, but I kind of said my thoughts out loud after that. "Believe me…if it was possible…I would take Gyro's place right now…if I knew I could. Just so he would be okay."

That last comment must've flipped a switch in Jodi. I had the feeling that this was going to be one of those 'big sister' moments, the ones when one of us blows up in front of the other…although, I remember her doing more of that than me. Not like I gave her reason not to either, I was the reckless one after all.

She looked angry, but I could see the worry in her eyes as she yelled. "You are always like that, self-sacrificing! Doesn't it even occur to you that others…" Suddenly, she stopped. I could tell by the look on her face she knew where I was getting at. "…might feel the same…" She then face palmed herself. "Gah, really?"

"See what I mean?"

"Yeah…still doesn't change anything though."

Just then, we both heard the door open to the lab. Everything felt like time slowed down as we waited to see who would walk out. Tails stepped out from behind the door. His eyes widened slightly when he saw us, but it looked like he kind of expected that we would be there.

It was killing me. A part of me wanted to find out if Gyro was alright, but another part of me didn't want to know in fear of it being the opposite. I tried to read Tails' expression, but it was too dark, the light that was coming from the lab didn't help much either. Through the knot I felt in my throat, I whispered. "Is he…?"

Tails sighed and rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

_Please…please let him be alright…_

"Dead?…no. We managed to get rid of the anti-mech, but it's going to take some time and energy for him to recover. But by the look of things, I think he'll be okay."

Jodi and I both sighed at the same time. It felt like a massive weight was lifted off my chest, and by looking at Jodi, I could tell that she felt the same.

"Thank Mobius." She whispered.

"Heh, took the words right out of my mouth there, Sis."

"Yeah, it wasn't easy let me tell ya." Tails continued. "We had to reroute almost all the power in the house just to the lab…which kind of explains why the lights don't work right now. I'll have to help Charles fix that in the morning."

Even though he didn't say it, I could tell that Tails was tired. It must've been a difficult procedure for him to have been this exhausted. Of course it was about five a.m. and he didn't sleep well that week, so that could've been it too. "Um Tails, it _is_ morning."

"Huh?" I held in a laugh as I saw him check his watch. "Well, heh, whadda you know. Five AM."

"Tails…" Hearing my sister, I looked at her. I gotta admit, I was pretty worried. At first, I thought that she was about to have an episode because her voice was shaking. But after she continued, I realized there was another reason behind her tone. "…Do you think…it would be okay to see him?"

Man, that gave a tug on my heart strings…and I could tell by looking at Tails, he felt the same way. Really, who could say 'no' to that?

"I don't see the harm in that. As long as you don't go in by yourself." Tails really didn't have to mention why, all of us in the hall knew too well. If something were to happen…It was just better to be safe than sorry…understandable.

"I'll be with her." I answered.

Tails nodded and then stepped out into the hall. "Well, I better wait in the living room for Jules and Knuckles to get back. You two go ahead in. Nikki, you know where the intercom is. If something happens, contact me and I'll be right there."

I gave him a reassuring nod. "Got it."

"Good." He then walked down the hall and stopped at the corner. "Oh, by the way, Dark left the lab earlier. He went to catch up with Jules and Knux, thought you should know."

I gave him a smile. "Thanks Tails."

Giving one more nod, Tails left the hall…leaving my 'sister' and I right outside the lab door. Taking a deep breath, I took Jodi's hand and stepped forward. I gently placed my hand on the door and gave it a light push, allowing myself to peek into the room. The lights blinded me for a moment, but once they adjusted, I was able to look around from where I stood.

The lab looked the same as it always was. The healing tank that Dark used every night was still in it's usual spot in the room. Like Tails said, Dark went to catch up with the others still looking for the Sleeper bot, so he wasn't there. Still, it seemed strange to me that he wasn't, I was kind of used to him still being there at this hour.

My eyes were drawn to the far corner just to the right of the door. There was Gyro, in a healing tank that was similar to Dark's. But instead of standing upright, the tank was on it's side. It looked like that was the way it was built. I kept trying to tell myself it didn't look like a casket, but still, an image like that never disappears from the corner of your mind.

A tap on my shoulder brought me back. "Nikki?"

Hearing my sister's voice behind me, I blinked a few times and looked over my shoulder. I didn't realize it, but I kind of zoned out for a second there. For a second, I almost second guessed letting Jodi into the room. But then I realized, I was doing something I never did before…I was letting fear hold me back. The thing here was, it wasn't fear for me, it was fear for Jodi's reaction to what I just saw. How would she take it? Would she be okay? Then I also realized, as much as I wanted to protect her, it wasn't fair to her either. The best thing to do for her was to be there for her, not hold her back.

After coming to terms with myself, I gave her a quick nod and stepped further into the room, leading her in. As she looked toward the direction of the healing tank I kept my focus on her, ready to leap into action at the first sign of anything out of the ordinary. I couldn't help but think to myself…have I really become this paranoid…because of all this?

But it proved to be just that, paranoia. After watching her for a few minutes, Jodi seemed as alright as anyone would in this situation. There was no episode, she didn't pass out, she just stared ahead of her, sadness lingering in her eyes.

Now, it was my turn to bring her back. I gripped her hand tighter and she looked toward my direction, as if I woke her up from a nightmare. But this was no nightmare, but oh how I wished that it was.

To reassure her, I gave her a nod and she nodded back in return. We both took a deep breath and then boldly took a few steps forward. It wasn't like me to take things slow, but for Jodi's sake, slow was the pace we had to take.

Finally, we made it to the healing tank. Gyro looked like he was sleeping. I was relieved to see his chest rise and fall, but I still couldn't help but feel bad about him ending up like this in the first place.

Jodi lightly placed her finger tips on the glass, allowing her hand to slide forward until her palm met the glass.

Jodi and I nearly jumped when we heard a familiar voice come from the speaker above the consol. "…Hey…"

Naturally, I looked to where the sound came from.

Through the speaker, I heard him laugh. "Um Nikki, down here."

I looked through the glass and Gyro was looking right at me, trying not to laugh.

His humor was contagious, I couldn't help laugh a little as I ran with my mistake. "Wow Gyro, I didn't know you could throw your voice like that."

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Jodi almost smiling. _So close._

Gyro shot me a confused look. "What are you talking about? I could always do that."

I shook my head back and forth. "Nope, never seen you do that before."

"Really?" My friend thought to himself for a moment. "Hmm…well, guess I'll have to show you guys later."

I nodded in response, I liked that answer. It was good seeing him in good spirits. Both Gyro's and my own attention was drawn to Jodi as I saw her turn her head in the opposite direction.

Gyro took the words out of my mouth when he spoke. "…Jodi? Are you alright?"

"Am _I_ alright?" She then looked toward Gyro, her voice quivered, but sounded like she was trying to regain control of her words. "Don't ask me that…it's _you_ that's hurt, not me."

I gotta tell ya, I felt my ears slant back with that one.

After a sigh, she continued. "Gyro…I…I seriously thought you died back there…that I lost you…I was so scared…"

There was sympathy in Gyro's eyes after he heard that. He placed the back of his hand on the glass, right across from Jodi's. "Hey, I'm okay."

He then looked to both Jodi and me. "You both don't need to worry about me, alright?"

As I noticed his glance return to my direction, I quickly flicked my ears forward.

"Professor Charles did say have to stay here for a while though. But I'm fine."

He then looked to Jodi and smiled. "Can't get rid of me that easy."

Even though her eyes were filled with tears, laughed a little and smiled back. "Wouldn't dream of it."

I sighed as I thought. _That's better, more than enough excitement for me today._

"Oh, I just remembered. Nikki, what about the Sleeper? Please tell me you guys took care of it."

"Uh…" _Great time for a mind blank Nikki. _"We're…working on it."

"Ugh, great."

"I can go check with Tails and see if Knuckles and Gramps got back yet." I offered.

Gyro nodded in agreement. "Yeah, good idea."

I then turned to my sister. "Jodi, you okay with staying here?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm not worried anymore. What's important now is finding out where the Sleeper took off to. I'll stay here, you go."

I nodded, but before I left, I tossed Jodi my communicator. "It has a panic button on the side, it connects directly to Tails. If something goes wrong-"

"I got it, I got it, push the button."

The two of us suddenly looked at each other when we realized something.

"Okay…that's freaky…" Gyro voiced for the both of us. "Did you two trade bodies or did I miss something here?"

Jodi interrupted our confused looks. "No time for that now, you have to check on the others."

Gyro stifled another laugh. "Never mind, still the same."

"I'll be back in bit." With that, I dashed out of the room and down the hall.

But a sudden noise from the other side of the wall where the living room was made me slide to halt…it was the sound of something…or someone…being thrown against the living room wall.

_No…not here…not now…not again._

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry about the abrupt cliff hanger once again. I figured I kept you guys waiting long enough for this chapter...so, I just added the next part to the next chapter. Actually worked out better for the story in my opinion. :D_

_Next Chapter: Everyone you think you can trust...can they truly be trusted? Will the Freedom Fighters let this paranoia get the better of them and tear them apart? Or...will something good come out of a possible solution to this rising crisis? Precautions are taken and alliances are tested, in the next chapter of Sonic's Legacy._

_For Update info, check Profile. :)_


	24. Chapter 41: Paranoid

Yay! Chapter 41 is done. :D

Now, it's actually 3 am over here...so, I'll get to the reviews tomorrow after work, as well as get to the ones I missed in the last chapter. lol.

Edit: Okay, here we go with the reviews. :)

Wow, I think I got the reviews mixed up. That's what i get for waiting so long to answer back i guess lol. I'll be sure to fix that later. In the meantime, I'll just answer the ones I missed right here.

oceanbreeze7: Thanks for the review. Don't worry, we will see Shadow again at some point...just not right now lol. I know, I'm anxious to add him in too, I love that hedgehog XD

species unknown: I know, sorry it took so long to update over these few months. My life is pretty time consuming at the moment. But hopefully by the middle of this month, I'll have some more time on my hands, that's when my college session ends. (hard to explain about what a college session is versus a semester, I'll put that in my profile sometime.) I'm glad you are enjoying my stories. Thank you so much :D

Anyway, here it is.

Enjoy :D

Oh, by the way, it picks up right after chapter 40 left off. So if you're confused in the first sentence, you might want to re-read the last paragraph of chapter 41.

* * *

_**Chapter 41: Paranoid**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

Quicker than a flash, Nikki extended the spikes on her arms and rushed into the room. "Alright, let them go or-!"

The blue hedgehog suddenly froze when she realized that the one that was being held against the wall was Zephyr…and the one that had the hawk pinned against the wall…with the cannon bracer he had salvaged from the Exus Carrier wreck at the ready…was Tails!

"or…else?…What on Mobius?"

Tails acknowledged her presence, but didn't take his eyes off of Zephyr. "Nikki, just stay there."

"For crying out loud! What the hell are you doing?" The hawk yelled at Tails.

"The day we first met, who spoke to you over the radio?" Tails asked accusingly.

Zephyr shot Tails a dumbfounded confusing look. "Seriously? Have you completely lost it?"

Tails pushed the hawk further into the wall. "Answer me."

"J-Julie…it was Julie." The hawk answered.

Tails' eyes turned from hostile to soft and he released his grip from Zephyr. "Alright."

"Do you mind telling me what in Chaos' name is going on?"

"Sorry Zeph. There's been a breach in our ranks here. An Exus robot has figured out how to change their appearance into other Mobians. I had to make sure you weren't an imposter."

The hawk shot him a confused look. "They're doing what now?"

Nikki realized that everything was calming down and retracted her spikes. "I didn't believe it at first either, but it sure looks that way."

"Okay…" Zephyr nodded as he dusted himself off. "I'm going to try and get my head around this…you're saying these freaks are walking around like their at some kind of Freedom Fighter's convention or something?"

"Yeah, I guess you can put it that way." Tails answered.

"This is nuts. Well okay, that's what I thought when you called Gale and I in the middle of our scouting mission to come straight here and you attacked me…but yeah, _this_ is insane."

Suddenly realizing the sugar glider wasn't present, Tails gave him a slightly worried look. "Where's Gale right now?"

"She's just putting the Extreme Gear in the…oh."

Nikki's eyes widened. "Yeah…her being out there by herself…not the best idea right now."

Just at that moment, that said glider walked in from outside. "Okay Zeph, the Extreme Gear's…"

Gale looked worried when she saw her comrades' serious looks. "What's wrong?"

Zephyr rolled his eyes. "Can't believe I'm about to ask this…Gale, do you remember what happened the first time I showed you how to ride Extreme Gear?"

The glider shot Zephyr a confused look. "Yeah…you showed off and ran into a parked car."

Nikki tried not to laugh, but she couldn't help herself. "Zeph…you really-?"

The hawk face palmed himself. "Yes, yes, I did okay. Just drop it."

Tails brought the attention back to the situation at hand. "So, Gale's okay. That's good…now we just have to find out about the others."

"Do you want us to go out and look for them?" Gale offered.

Tails shook his head. "No, you two better stay here with us. Until we catch that Exus Sleeper, we won't be able to tell who's side the other is on." The fox sat down on the couch and brushed back his bangs, exhausted. "I need some time to figure something out."

"Well Tails, by the way this sounds, time is something we don't got."

"I know Zeph-"

Tails was suddenly interrupted by someone swiftly swinging the door open. The fox jumped up and readied his cannon bracer at the figure, who also readied a similar weapon attached to their own arm toward Tails. At first, it was hard to see in the darkness who it was, but after he spoke, they had an idea of who it could be. "What were the last words…my son said to the pair of us?"

Tails gave him a smirk and answered the question. "Wish me luck."

The two at the stand-off lowered their respective weapons.

"So, I take it that means you and Knuckles didn't find it." Tails asked.

"Worse…We got separated and…I lost the trail."

"Wait, _you _lost it? _You?…" _Seeing Jules nod, Tails' eyes widened. "That's impossible, how can it do that? Even if it camouflaged itself…No matter what form it takes, it's still made of metal. Your scanner should be able to pick it up."

"Apparently, not only does it have the ability to change into a Mobian, it can use that same DNA to mask it's origin. It was like it just disappeared completely, blending in with the other life forms not only on my scanner, but Knuckles' as well."

Tails sighed. "This thing is craftier than we thought."

Nikki came to a frightening realization. "Tails…Knuckles and Dark are still out there. If they can't track it down-"

Zephyr interrupted. "Come on guys, Knux and Dark are more than capable of handling this."

"So was Gyro…" Tails' voice was serious and his look was more so as he continued. "…and now look where we're standing."

Zephyr remembered Tails had told him about what happened over his communicator earlier. Everyone fell silent for a moment, shifting their glance away from one another.

Jules interrupted the silence as he thought for a moment. "Wait…You said that Dark was supposed to meet up with us…I never saw him."

Nikki looked to her grandfather. "What?"

"Actually, that's not a bad thing. He probably couldn't tell who you were either. He's an ambush fighter, so he wouldn't give himself away easily." Tails reassured.

"Or he could've ran into to the thing before he got to you guys." Zephyr muttered, and was quickly elbowed by Gale. "Ow, hey!"

Suddenly, Nikki sensed something. She looked toward the front door. Before she could say anything, a red figure swiftly came in and closed the door behind him. The echidna was breathing heavily, leaning against the door.

"Knux?" Zephyr asked.

"It's gone…it took off out one of the tunnels…damn thing was too quick."

Nikki felt a slight shiver down her spine. It was a similar feeling she had before…and she recognized it right off the bat…something wasn't right. The blue hedgehog walked forward, until she was between the group of Mobians and Knuckles.

There, she stopped and looked right at the echidna. "Knuckles…when you first brought me here, I asked you about my father…what did you tell me?"

"Really? You're asking me this now after I chased after that thing for-"

"Answer…the question." The hedgehog's eyes narrowed. "What did you say…about my father?"

"I told you that he was a hero…you don't remember that?"

Nikki suddenly let out an angered breath and then lunged forward. She then extended her spikes and slashed right across his left eye. The echidna yelled and covered his face. Everyone else in the room froze at Nikki's sudden action.

The angered hedgehog didn't take her eyes off the echidna in front of her, not even for a second.

She then heard a sinister laugh.

"Well…he was right…" When the echidna moved his hand, Nikki's eyes widened for a brief moment. Even though she already knew, she still couldn't believe what she saw. Though who she saw was Knuckles…the eyes and where she had cut looking back at her…were far from that of her teacher's. It's eyes glowed sinister red when it added. "…you _are_ able to tell…I shouldn't have underestimated you…"

Seeing the robot's tail slowly creeping as it extended, Tails hollered. "Nikki! Get down!"

But she didn't move. Instead, she grabbed the bladed tail with her hand and held it tightly in her grasp, never taking her eyes off of the robot in front of her.

At that same moment, Tails had readied his cannon bracer, but didn't fire. He was slightly shocked by Nikki's behavior. Even though Sonic sometimes had moments when he lost his temper, this was different. She was vividly furious, though with her back turned, no one else truly noticed it but Tails himself. It was obvious that she had no intention of letting this robot escape her…alive.

Zephyr had moved Gale behind him when he heard Tails' yell, and in seeing Nikki's action, gave a shocked look toward Jules across from him.

Realizing that this could go down a path that Nikki would possibly regret later, Tails took the initiative and charged up the cannon. "Nikki…move…now."

The hedgehog seemed to snap out of it and blink a few times at the robot in front of her. She then glanced back toward Tails and quicker than a flash, released her grip on the robot and dodged.

As soon as she was out of the way, Tails fired. The blast rang out and blasted the Exus Sleeper though the front door and out to the front yard.

Without skipping a beat after the blast cleared, Nikki quickly ran outside and saw the robot scramble up and start to take off at light speed. The hedgehog swiftly followed and Tails got outside just in time to see the blue comet disappear.

"Nikki no-! damn it." Tails quickly turned on his communicator to contact her. "Nikki, what are you doing? Get back here."

"Can't do that Tails."

"You're too important to just go running off after it, that's what it wants."

"And what? No one else is important? Tails, you and I both know I'm the only one fast enough to keep up with it." She answered from the other end.

She then added. "Go find Knuckles…make sure he's okay…Don't worry…There's no way I'm letting it out of my sight again."

Tails didn't like the idea of Nikki chasing after the Exus Sleeper by herself, but…she was right. Out of the group that was currently accounted for, Nikki was the only one capable of staying within eyesight of the robot. As long as Nikki was watching it, it couldn't stop to change form. Tails nodded then answered her. "Alright, just be careful…"

"You too, Tails." With that Nikki hung up and then picked up the pace.

Tails turned to Jules, Zephyr and Gale. "Alright, Nikki is keeping the Sleeper busy. Jules, stay here in case it tries to come back here. Zeph, Gale, you two are with me. Get your Extreme Gear."

The hawk and the glider nodded. "Right."

Meanwhile, Nikki was staying right on the robot's tail, just leaving enough space in between to let the robot stay about five feet away.

_**She's faster than I calculated…but according to the data, she should be able to catch me at this rate…why isn't she-?**_

When the robot realized what Nikki's plan was, it shouted back for her to hear. _**"Now I see, you're not trying to capture me…you're trying to keep me on the move so that I can't transform…" **_Its eyes narrowed. _**"Clever girl."**_

"You might as well just give up! This pace is like cruise control for me, I can keep this up all night!" Nikki hollered ahead of her over the wind.

"_**Is that right? Well…lets see if you can catch what you can't see." **_With that, the robot cloaked itself then dashed forward.

"What? Wait, no!" Nikki skidded to a stop and then looked back and forth. "Aaand it's gone. Ugh great, now I get why Gramps lost it."

_Wait a minute…that's it. It can hide itself…but it still sounds like a robot when it moves…Alright Nikki, focus…_

Nikki closed her eyes and stood completely still, she kept her breathing quiet, listening to the wind around her. Suddenly, her ear flicked as she picked up on the familiar sound of gears turning in the tree behind her.

_There!_

The fast moving hedgehog whipped around and then reached out to grab the trunk of the tree, but grabbed something else…it was the robot's throat. As it's camouflage faded, the robot swung its tail toward Nikki's face. But she barely managed to dodge it, the bladed tip slashed her cheek.

With Nikki avoiding the attack, the robot slipped away from her grasp.

"What? Is that it? I thought that foolish echidna trained you better."

Hearing the robot's voice mimicking Knuckles' once more, Nikki was border-lined between feeling sick and feeling the anger surge within her. She growled as she muttered. "Shut up."

The robot laughed. "Oh, did I strike a nerve? Actually, by judging his skills, I did you a favor. He was pathetic."

That last comment was the last straw. _"Shut up!"_

Faster than lightning, Nikki rushed in and extended her spikes. She then punched the robot, allowing herself to follow through and the spike on her arm drove itself into the robot's skull and it collapsed. Since she had dealt with the average Sleepers before, Nikki knew that move wouldn't bring the robot down, it would regenerate in nothing flat. She stood at the ready, waiting for the sign to either dodge or attack again.

However, instead of attacking her, the robot quickly dashed off into the forest. But the hedgehog wasn't going to let it get away from her that easily and ran after it.

To her surprise, something just ahead of them dashed in from the side and hit the Exus Sleeper dead on. In order to avoid hitting whoever it was that got in the way, Nikki leaped over the two and then skidded to a stop.

She knew who it was, she recognized that golden glow anywhere. "Dark!"

The midnight hedgehog stood over the robot, which was now overloaded from the sudden burst of Chaos Energy that Dark unleashed on his target.

Realizing that the robot was down, Nikki ran over to Dark. "Well, that was a tad bit over the top, don't you think?"

"You didn't hear what it was thinking."

Nikki's eyes widened a little. "Yeah…lets keep it that way for now. What ever these freaks think about, I'd rather not know about it thanks." The curious hedgehog walked a little closer to the scorched robot then tapped it lightly with her foot. "But seriously, you barbequed the-"

Suddenly the robot sparked and made her jump as the sparks licked at her feet. "Yikes!"

The embarrassed hedgehog noticed Dark hold in a laugh. "Sh- shut up."

The midnight hedgehog's face then turned serious when he noticed the cut on Nikki's face. "You're hurt."

Nikki crossed her arms and reassured. "It's just a scratch, Dark."

Dark lightly touched her cheek and the she cringed. "Ow."

"Well, your 'scratch' looks like it could use stitches." He plainly stated as he raised one of his eyebrows.

Nikki tried to defend herself, but realized in half sentence that she wasn't doing herself any favors. "Oh come on, I get worse scraps from tripping over my own-…yeah, I'm just gonna shut up now."

The midnight hedgehog turned back to the robot and shook his head back and forth, holding in another laugh.

* * *

Back at the house, Jules was standing by the couch in the living room. He was calm, but kept his senses focused around him. If the others hadn't found that Exus Sleeper, there was no way it was going to break into his brother's lab, especially with Jodi and Gyro there as well. Tails couldn't have left the protection of those two in more capable hands.

At the sound of the doorknob turning, the metal hedgehog went on alert. He quickly turned his arm into a gun then aimed it toward the door warily. As soon as he saw Gale walk in, Jules relaxed, changing his arm back to its original state.

The young sugar glider looked back outside the door, holding it open. "You sure you got him, Tails?"

"Yeah Gale, I got him. Thanks though." The fox answered.

Tails stepped in and had one of the echidna's arms over his shoulder, helping Knuckles stay on his feet. The echidna looked to be in pretty bad shape, despite his red fur, it was apparent that he was covered head to toe in blood.

It was surprising for Jules to see Knuckles in that condition. "Wow Red, you look horrible."

With Jules' comment, Knuckles retorted back. "Yeah and you look spotless, where the hell did you go?"

"You contacted me and told me to come here! …wait…or was that the Sleeper?"

"You have a scanner and you couldn't tell the difference?"

"And you have a scanner too, Red? Were you able to sense where it was?"

Before the arguing could escalate further, Tails interrupted. "Well, at least you seem well enough to make witty insults, that's good."

"I already told you, I was fine." Knuckles snapped.

"Yeah, sure you were fine. So, you were just taking a nap and not lying unconscious in ditch." Tails retorted with sarcasm.

The echidna shot Tails a look, who in return just gave him a smirk.

Knuckles then growled and released himself from Tails' grip. "Where's Nikki?"

"Dark contacted me. He said that both him and Nikki are on their way here."

The echidna let out a sigh and then looked at his fur. "Alright, I better wash up before they get here."

"Hehe…yeah, knowing Nikki, that's not a bad idea Knux." Tails agreed. He knew that Nikki would probably flip if she saw Knuckles with that much blood in his fur.

"First door in the hall." Jules directed, extending his thumb in that said direction.

Knuckles nodded and then walked toward the hall, he then opened the door and then closed it behind him.

"Okay Tails, I got hold of Su's school and-" The green hawk stopped when he noticed that one member of the group was missing. "Where'd Knux go?"

"He's washing up. So, you got a hold of Crash's and Lara-Su's school, what did they say?"

"Everyone there is good. They had a protocol for this kind of thing…which is weird if you ask me."

Jules nodded. "Since the raid three years ago, I don't blame them."

The hawk shot Jules a confused look. "Huh?"

"That was before you Zeph." Tails answered, he then sat down on the couch. "Now, you were saying?"

"Oh right," Before he continued, Zephyr walked over to the coffee table and leaned against it. "They said that they were going to keep the students at the school until they get the all clear."

The fox face palmed himself. "Great, they've already been there for almost 6 hours after. Julie's not going to be happy about that."

"At least they're safe." Gale reassured.

"We could've used Squad 3's help on this one though." Jules voiced. "Knuckles and Julie really need to sign those permission slips."

Tails then turned back to Zephyr. "What about the rest of the Squad 3?"

"Still stuck there too." The hawk answered rolling his eyes.

"Wonderful." Tails stated with sarcasm, he then shook his head and sighed. "We really do need to fix that."

"Well, with that Exus Sleeper on the loose, what else were the staff supposed to do? They're responsible for those kids." Jules reasoned.

Tails nodded in agreement. "This is true."

Nikki and Dark walked in and made their way to the coffee table while Zephyr scoffed. "Yeah well, I'd love to see that Sleeper creep try and-"

_**CLANK!**_

"GAH HAHA!" Zephyr yelled as he jumped away from the coffee table.

Dark gave a light smirk, quite satisfied with making the cocky hawk jump clean out of his feathers by roughly placing the mangled metal on the table. "Got it."

"How about a heads up next time, geez."

Nikki laughed. "How about you pay attention next time?"

"She got you there, Zeph."

"Gale, who's side are you on here?"

Remembering something, Nikki interrupted. "Hey, did you guys and Tails find Knux?"

Tails looked toward the hall and smiled. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Nikki looked in the same direction. There, drying his quills with a towel, was Knuckles. "Knux!"

Before the echidna could blink, Nikki dashed over and embraced him.

"Omph! Okay…Nikki…ribs…broken…"

As soon as she heard that, Nikki released him. "Oh, sorry Knux."

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

Nikki crossed her arms. "Right, broken ribs and you're fine, really?"

"Don't you mock me!"

"I'm not, I'm just saying what's going to happen when Aunt Julie finds out."

Knuckles' eyebrows lowered. "Tell her and you're dead."

Even though Nikki was messing with Knuckles, the reality was that she was relieved that he was alive. The way how that Exus Sleeper made it sound, her teacher was dead. So, seeing him at that moment, even though he was giving her the death stare, she still had that confident smirk.

"So, whatcha gonna do with that thing anyway?" Zephyr asked as he gave the twisted metal mess a strange look.

"We figured that Tails would be able to take a look at it." Nikki answered from across the room.

"The more we find out about these things the better." Dark added.

"Well…I don't know if I'm going to be able to decipher this…" Tails questioned as he took a closer look. "I mean, what happened, did lightning strike it or something?"

"Yeah, something like that." Nikki answered as she gave Dark a look. "Told you took it a little too far."

Dark shot her a look back. He meant to say something, but Tails interrupted as he analyzed what he could of the twisted mess. "However…it looks like some it is still intact…Maybe Marcus can take a look at the molecular and DNA qualities of it."

"Marcus does know more about bio-mechanics than us. If anyone can figure out what these things are capable of, it's him."

"You're right about that, Jules."

Zephyr came to a realization. "So…what if there's more of these Sleeper creeps out there? How do we know for sure this scrap heap's not the only one here?"

"I think we might be in the clear. I'm not sensing anything like I was earlier."

The hawk shot the female hedgehog a surprising look. "What…Nikki what are you talking about?"

"Well, when the Exus Sleeper came in disguised as Knuckles I had this feeling. Kind of like a cold chill, you know?"

"Um, no I don't." Zeph answered confused.

"I don't sense anything either."

"What? Dark you too?"

"It must have something to do with Chaos Energy, if both Nikki and Dark can sense whether or not someone is an Exus Sleeper at a glance. That's a good thing." Tails deduced.

Zephyr rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's great, but what if they're not around? No offense, but you guys tend to go off on your own a lot. What then?"

"That does pose as a problem…" Tails pondered.

"Um…excuse me." The group looked toward where the whisper came from, Jodi had walked out of the lab. "I couldn't help but overhear. What's going on?"

"We caught the Sleeper." Nikki answered.

"But now we have a problem. They can turn themselves into carbon copies of Mobians. It's almost impossible to tell them apart from the real thing." Tails added.

"Yeah, I got that. So, we need to find a way to tell the difference amongst ourselves while on missions." Jodi asked.

Tails nodded. "Yes, exactly. Do you have something in mind?"

"Well, I do have one theory." The ferret pondered.

"Alright, Sis. We're all ears." Nikki encouraged.

"Well…what if we use the anti-mech that we got from Gyro. I think I can mess with it's basic structure and make it so that we can use it to tell us apart from the Sleepers."

Tails caught on quickly and added. "That's right, the Sleeper shouldn't be able to replicate the anti-mech. Good thinking Jodi."

"Don't thank me yet…I still need to decipher it and make it less hostile. I can use my own anti-mech as a reference."

Nikki nodded. "Do what you gotta do Sis."

Tails agreed. "Yes and in the meantime, no one is to be alone even when you have to split up on missions. We need to make sure we don't get blindsided again."

"Yes Sir!"

* * *

Author's Note: Sweet, way to go Jodi :D Lets hope her plan works.

So, it looks like the kids are coming into their own as Freedom Fighters.

Next chapter: One of the Freedom Fighters stumbles upon something on one of their missions. What is it that they find? And also, what does Marcus find out after analyzing what's left of the Exus Sleeper?

For update info...check My profile.


	25. Chapter 42: Carrying On

Sweet, I got this Chapter done before finals *dances* :D

Anyway, for the reviews...*looks at the review tab* Huh, what do you know, no anonymous reviews.

I usually get to those that review me by pm. But if I haven't gotten to you yet, I apologize. Rest assured, I will soon. :D Still, thank you all for reviewing. :D

Now, here is Chapter 42.

Enjoy :D

* * *

_**Chapter 42: Carrying On**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

"Figures. Tails gives us one rule to follow and Crash manages to break it on the first day." Zephyr muttered as he looked around below his Extreme Gear for the meerkat.

"It's not his fault." Gale defended.

Truly it wasn't, the poor guy always had a knack for getting himself into these situations. Now they had to backtrack and hope that something bad didn't happen to him. Zephyr had calculated that the last they heard from Crash was at least 1,000 miles back…that was a lot of ground to cover, considering they were flying at the speed of sound just a few moments ago.

Gale was worried, Crash didn't answer his communicator either. Zephyr reassured her and told her that he probably dropped it or something, but she still couldn't help it. "I hope he's okay."

"Eh, I'm sure he just got sidetracked or something. We'll find him-"

Suddenly, before Zephyr could finish, something dashed in from behind them and smacked the back of Zephyr's head, causing him to fly right off of his Extreme Gear. "Gah! "WHAHAHA!"

As soon as he hit the ground, he barrel rolled, trying to avoid being impaled by his own Extreme Gear.

"Zeph! You okay?"

Out of habit, the hawk yelled. "Crash, you idiot!"

"Um…that wasn't Crash."

As soon as he heard that, the hawk looked around him to see if there was someone else around. Hearing the familiar sound of Extreme Gear flying, the two Mobians looked up and saw another Extreme Gear rider.

Unfortunately, the jade hawk was all too familiar to Zephyr. "Great…It's the old man. This day just keeps getting better."

Suddenly, another fast moving object dashed by…it was an Exus Fiend, a jet like robot.

"Zeph, he's in trouble. We have to help him."

The hawk scoffed as he picked himself off the ground and dusted himself off. "Pfft, Yeah right. When pigs fly."

Another Extreme Gear rider flew right by. "Hold on Boss! I'm comin'!"

Both Gale and Zephyr looked at each other.

"Okay, that was a Guinea Pig, that doesn't count."

"Zeph, they can't take that Exus Fiend by themselves."

"If you want to have at it, go right ahead." The hawk then tried to pry his Extreme Gear out of the ground.

Seeing the Exus robot catching up to Jet, the young sugar glider suddenly yelled. "Ah! If you don't help him, you're no better than he is!"

That statement was such a shock to Zephyr that his grip slipped on the Extreme Gear and he fell back ward, landing on his rear. As Gale took off, the bewildered hawk watched her. _Did she really just say that?_

The young glider caught up to them in nothing flat. She was coming right up behind the guinea pig when she recognized who had caught up to her.

"Zephyr!"

"Yeah, yeah, I can tell you you're right later. Lets just get this over with."

The two picked up speed and caught up to the guinea pig Extreme Gear rider.

"It's alright, we're here to help!" Gale yelled over the wind.

As Gale was convincing the rider that her and Zeph were on their side, Zephyr took off ahead to catch up to the Exus Fiend.

"Hey! Two-bit rust-bucket!"

The robot scanned behind it, its eye lights pivoted to the back of its head. Realizing that the teenage hawk gaining on it was a priority target, the robot suddenly slowed down.

Zephyr didn't stop, but picked up speed. He then pushed a button on his Extreme Gear with his foot, allowing sharp, wing-shaped blades to come out on either side of the hover board.

"This is our turf!"

The sound of metal hitting metal rang out through the air as the two passed each other. Not even waiting for the robot to recover, Zephyr pulled the Extreme Gear upward, causing it to flip…

"You got that?" …and fly straight down at an angle and slice the robot again. The robot then chased after the teenage hawk.

Recognizing the voice behind him, Jet gave a shocked look and slid his Extreme Gear to a stop, allowing it hover.

It was an insane dog fight. Both Zephyr and the Exus Fiend were fighting so close, it would make any fighter pilot shiver. It was an epic display of aerodynamic prowess, but it was also extremely dangerous. One wrong move and Zephyr would be dead.

Jet and his comrade were shocked that Zephyr and Gale would even help them. Not only that, they didn't know if it was a good idea to try and intervene or even assist Zephyr in a fight like this. There was too much room for error if something went wrong.

As quickly as that thought came to them, Zephyr broke from the conflict and then took off, the Exus right on his tail. He had just found out that the Exus Fiend had regenerating capabilities, so what he was trying to accomplish in that dog fight was getting him no where. If he was going to take this robot out, he had to think of something else.

Gale raced after them, staying right on the Exus Fiend's tail.

Zephyr acknowledged his teammate's presence over the communicator. "Gale, we're going to plan 'B'."

"Copy that, I'm right it's tail."

The hawk pulled his Extreme Gear hard to the right. He looked out his peripherals to see if he was far enough away from the robot. _Come on you stupid metal head, give me some space here._

Zephyr tried slaloming back and forth to shake the Exus Fiend off his tail, but the stubborn robot didn't break the formation. _Damn it, looks like I gotta try something new…but what? I've tried everything except-…Shit._

At that moment, Zephyr knew there was one way to loose this robot so that Gale could get a clear shot…but he absolutely hated the idea. _Well…beggars can't be choosers._

"Gale, I can't shake it. Look, no matter what happens, take it out, that's an order."

"Wait! Zeph, what are you doing?"

_Here it goes._

He slammed his foot onto the on and off switch for the anti gravity jets. The jets turned off and the Extreme Gear stalled and began to fall out of the sky with Zephyr still on it. The Exus Fiend's blade like wings just barely missed the top of Zephyr's head as it passed over.

Gale stayed on the Exus Fiend's tail as ordered, but she still hesitated for a second. A part of her was screaming to dive after Zephyr, but another part of her remembered what Zephyr had said…he planned this. She realized that the hawk knew what he was doing and needed her to do her part. With a heavy heart, the sugar glider continued after the Exus Fiend. She only had a small window of time before the robot would turn itself around and go after her or Zephyr, who was unable to defend himself.

Zephyr quickly tried to start his Extreme Gear again, but he already knew this was going to be difficult. It was a major safety rule to never turn off the Extreme Gear's engines while in flight. Each time the Extreme Gear is turned off, it takes time to recharge…time that Zephyr didn't have.

"_Come on…Come on, work!"_

He could hear the jets whirl, like they wanted to restart, but no longer had the strength.

"_Come on!"_

The hawk stomped on the button one last time and closed his eyes. He was so close to the ground now, he knew he was either going to be saved, or dead…

The familiar sound of the Extreme Gear's engines filled his ears. He risked opening one of his eyes and look down. It worked. The Extreme Gear had saved him…just four feet from the ground. The hawk's legs shook from the sudden adrenaline rush and he collapsed on his board.

Zephyr breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank Mobius…whew…note to self, find a backup system so that doesn't happen again."

The hawk looked up and saw Gale chasing after the Exus Fiend. She had it lined up right where she wanted it. The nine year old sugar glider flew like a pro as she closed in on her target.

_You got it Gale, take it out._

At that moment, she hit a button with her foot and a missile launched out from an access port on bottom of the Extreme Gear. The missile hit it's mark and broke on impact. An ice like substance began to cover the robot's engines and it began to fall out of the sky. The ice crept it's way from the engines until the robot was completely encased.

Zephyr quickly flew up to meet it. Once he was close enough, he pushed a button on his Extreme Gear. A missile shot out and hit the robot dead on, but instead of freezing the robot or blowing it up, the missile engulfed it in flames, causing the strange ice to melt into the cracks in the robot's armor. As soon as the fire snuffed itself out, the ice cooled quickly, turning itself into a metal like substance that fused itself with the robot's structure. The hunk of metal crashed into the ground, creating a small crater.

"Ha! It worked!" Zephyr shouted in triumph. "Tails is gonna be psyched to hear that."

The two young Extreme Riders came in for a landing and touched down on the ground.

Gale excitedly ran to Zephyr. "Zeph, we did it! We totally mopped the floor with that-" She suddenly stopped short and hid behind the hawk as Jet and the other Extreme Gear rider landed nearby. "Eep."

The older hawk walked toward the kids. "Zephyr."

The teenage hawk stood in front of Gale and gave a defiant look. "Jet."

"Gale! Zephyr!"

The young sugar glider turned in the direction where she heard her name. Zephyr on the other hand, remained focused on his father in front of him.

Familiar blue and gold comets streamed into view and slowed down when they reached their two comrades. Nikki spoke first. "We came as soon I heard about-"

She suddenly stopped short when she saw Zephyr and Jet at a stare down. "Uh oh."

The midnight hedgehog focused on the unfamiliar hawk. "Want me to take care of it?"

"No, better let them settle it on their own." Nikki reassured. It had been a while since Zephyr had seen his father and she had remembered that the two didn't part ways on good terms. But, it was nothing to get overly worried about…as long as no one got hurt that is.

Gale ran over to Nikki and hid behind her.

Jet's eyes narrowed. "This is Rogue territory, you and your team are not welcome here."

"Ha, figures that's the kind of gratitude we get for saving your ass." Zephyr retorted.

"I didn't need any help, I had that Fiend where I wanted it."

Zephyr laughed from disbelief. "Seriously? Are you that thick headed to admit you were in trouble?"

"Feather-brained idiot!"

Zephyr shot back. "Self-centered buzzard!"

"Okay, this is getting out of hand." Nikki darted in-between the two hawks, who just about at each other's throats. "Alright, that's enough."

At that same moment, Jet's teammate came in and held Jet back as well. "Sir, we need to get out of here. The Exus will send reinforcements."

Jet broke free from his subordinate's grip, but didn't advance in Zephyr's direction. Instead, he sighed and then shot the teenagers a look. "I better not catch any of you on my turf again." The two then turned around, grabbed their Extreme Gears and took off.

Zephyr's temper wasn't subsiding in the least. "That's the last time I save your sorry butt!"

"Zephyr, lets go. We need to find Crash." Nikki reminded him not only as a fact, but to keep him from taking off after Jet.

As soon as the teenage hawk remembered his clumsy comrade, he face palmed himself. "Ugh, you're right. Let's go find him."

"So how do we do this if we can't split up?" Gale asked.

Seeing Dark roll his eyes then walking in the opposite direction, Nikki's eyes widened. "Um Dark, where are you going?"

"Finding Crash."

"Um hello, weren't you listening?" Zephyr shot is his teammate a confusing look. "Tails said no one goes off on their own anymore."

"I'll keep in touch with Nikki."

"Are you sure?" Nikki asked.

The midnight hedgehog crossed his arms. "Don't trust that I can take care of myself?"

"Oh no, I trust you Dark. It's those Sleeper creeps that I don't trust. What if one of them gets a hold of you?"

"That's what telepathy is for." Dark reminded.

"Oh…right. I keep forgetting you can do that."

"He can do what?" The hawk face palmed himself. "Geesh, doesn't anyone tell me anything anymore?"

"Zeph, you keep hitting your head like that, you'll look like a Christmas Tree."

Gale couldn't help but laugh at Nikki's comment.

"Catch you later then." With that, Dark took off in the other direction.

"Unbelievable." Zephyr said as he rolled his eyes. "The guy takes out one Sleeper and thinks he's invincible."

"Well, for our sake, I hope Jodi can come up with that…what ever she's working on. I can't stand second guessing who's not a puppet." The female hedgehog then turned to her two comrades. "Okay, so Dark and I will take the land route. Zeph, you and Gale search by air. Stay within sight though, alright?"

"Pfft, yes Mom." Zeph mocked as he rolled his eyes.

"We're on it, Nikki. Come on, Zeph." Gale then grabbed her Extreme Gear and took to the air.

As soon as the last two of her comrades took off, the female hedgehog face palmed herself. "Ugh, this is why I hate being in charge. I'm too kick back for this drama crap."

As much as Nikki was a natural leader, today she was still drained from the events of yesterday. She did do a good job hiding it from the others and keeping a level head, but right now, she wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep.

_Honestly, I have no idea how Tails does it. I'm beat._

She quickly put her own problems aside and ran off toward the east. _Alright Crash, where did you…well… 'crash' into?_

The blue blur soared, keeping her eyes open for any sign of her friend. _Come on Crash, where are you?_

After searching her grid in that short amount of time, she contacted the others. "You guys find anything yet?"

"Nope, nada." Zephyr's voice sounded on the other line. "You neither?"

"Nu uh." Nikki answered, still glancing around.

"Wow…that kid's really done it this time." Zephyr added.

"I don't see him either." Gale answered.

"Dark, how about you?"

Nikki waited for an answer…it wasn't what she was looking for. "Negative. No sign of him anywhere."

"You mean you can't sense him?" This wasn't good. If Dark couldn't sense where Crash was, that could mean one thing…and Nikki didn't like it.

Frustrated and worried, she called out. "Crash!"

Suddenly, Nikki heard the sound of metal moving and she whipped around, her spikes extended and standing on end. What she saw surprised her for minute. The noise had been a hatch that opened underground, and guess who was peeking his head out of the hole in the ground?

"Nikki? Was that you?"

"What?…" Nikki was completely confused for a second, she then yelled. "Crash, what the heck? We've been looking everywhere for you and you're in the-!"

She then stopped and her confused look returned when another realization came to her. "Where does that go?"

"Oh, I stumbled in here to get away from an Exus bot after crashing my board about-" The meerkat stopped and looked around a second at his surroundings, as if he had no idea where he was until he got his bearings. He then pointed behind him. "About fifteen miles back thata' way."

Nikki gave a slight look of disgust. "Please tell me that's not the sewer."

"What? Eww gross no." Crash replied with the same look.

Suddenly, a call interrupted. "Nikki, I found him, he's-"

"Yeah Dark, I know he's-" Her eyes widened. "Wait, you can sense him now?"

"Yes, that would be why I called you."

"That's weird…huh." The hedgehog came up with an idea, but she had to check and see if her hunch was correct. "Crash, go back down there and shut the hatch."

"Um, okay…but I don't see why I need to-"

"Just do it, Crash."

"Kay." the young meerkat climbed down the ladder and closed the hatch.

Nikki contacted Dark again. "Okay, how about now?"

"…he's gone."

"Kay Crash, climb back up!" She hollered so that Crash could hear her.

The meerkat obeyed her and reopened the hatch.

"And now?"

"He's back. Nikki, what is going on over there?"

"I don't get it, what are you guys doing?" Zephyr chimed in.

"Guys, get over here. I think Crash found something you might wanna look at."

Dark arrived there in nothing flat, but paused a moment when he saw where Crash was. He then turned to Nikki. "He's not in a sewer access, is he?"

"Oh come on!" Crash yelled. "Do I look the kind of guy that would be walking around in the sewer?"

Dark was about to say something, but predicting it, Nikki interrupted. "Don't."

"Ah come on, it's perfect."

His female comrade shook her head. "Don't do it."

* * *

"Whoa, what is this place?" Nikki couldn't help but say that after she had climbed down and was looking around her.

The rest of the group were just as surprised by the tunnel they were now in. It was truly massive, big enough for the X Tornado 2 to easily fly in.

"Dude, it's huge." The hawk looked up at the tunnel's ceiling. "How the heck could someone hide _this_ down here?"

"This isn't all of it. There's more tunnels branching from the center structure." Dark answered after he scanned around him.

Zephyr shot him a slightly confused look. "Have you been down here before?"

"Zeph, Dark is psychic." Nikki reminded. "Didn't you get that from the whole telepathy thing?"

The hawk crossed his arms. "Well, how come he couldn't see this when we were top side?"

"Maybe it has some kind of frequency jamming device…" Gale guessed as she took a closer look at the walls. She was quite smart for her age, similar to Tails in fact. "Or maybe it's the metal it's made of…"

"Don't touch anything."

The instant Dark said that, Gale pulled her hand away from the wall and gave a small yelp. "Eep!"

The midnight hedgehog then continued. "We don't know if there's any defense systems in here. It's obvious this was a base of some sort. We don't want to set anything off."

"Yeah, good point." Nikki agreed.

Crash thought for a second. "Well, I didn't run into anything like that. But I did see this big door."

"Big door?" Nikki asked.

"Yeah, it had this huge "G" on it." The meerkat added.

Dark and Nikki looked at each other.

"Sounds like a G.U.N. base to me."

"Yeah, totally fit's the usual." Nikki agreed. She then turned to the meerkat. "Crash, do you think you can take us to that door?"

"Sure thing." The meerkat pointed down the tunnel behind them. "It's this way."

Nikki gave a determined glance in that said direction. "Right then, lets check this out."

* * *

"Here it is." The meerkat pointed out once the door came into view.

It certainly was a long run to get there, even though Dark and Nikki could've easily ran ahead and would've been there in a short few seconds, they thought it was best to stay with Zephyr, Gale and Crash. They still didn't know if there were any traps or security settings in the old base, so they decided not to risk it.

Zephyr whistled. "Wow, that is one big door."

"I told you." Crash nodded.

The group slowly walked toward the goliath door. It was made of a black metal, similar to the kind that Nikki had seen on her mission to Cat Country that the portable roboticizers were made of. The G.U.N. symbol was right in the center, a single "G" with a four pointed diamond surrounding the logo.

"Looks like one of G.U.N.'s more recent projects." Nikki deduced. "That logo is the one they used two years before the Exus took over."

Nikki looked curiously at the door as she recognized the metal. "Huh, that's weird."

"What's weird?" Gale asked.

"This metal…I've seen it before…That mission in Cat Country."

"Oh yeah, I remember that one." Crash chimed in. "But, I don't remember seeing anything like this. I was in the city though, so that happened where you and Stealth were at, right?"

"Yeah. It's the same metal as those shipping crate roboticizers." The blue hedgehog added.

"So how do we get in…or…do even want to try and get in?" Zephyr debated.

Dark stepped forward, he was about to scan the door when a red beam of light shot out from the top of the door. The whole group jumped out of the way instinctively as the beam fanned out and hit the floor. The midnight hedgehog looked at the beam of light curiously.

"Hey! What are you doing? That could burn you or something!" Zephyr nearly squawked.

The midnight hedgehog raised one of his eyebrows as he looked back at the hawk. He then returned his gaze to the beam. Then, without warning, Dark placed his hand in the beam. The rest of the group stepped back, thinking that Dark was either going to burst into flame or turned into metal…but none of that happened. Instead, the beam moved to toward Dark's arm, then stopped at the ring on his wrist.

The beam disappeared and a female mechanical voice was heard. "Access Granted."

The massive door began to open, but worn from unforgiving time and lack of upkeep, the door stopped about a two feet from the floor.

"Really? All that and we get a two foot entrance?"

"No one's been here for years Zeph, what do you expect?" Gale answered.

"I expect _something_ to work…for once."

"Alright, lets have a look." Without hesitation, the blue hedgehog rolled inside. The group then heard her voice from the other side. "Whoa…Guys, you gotta see this."

Dark went through first, followed by Crash then Gale. Zephyr rolled his eyes and then followed suit.

"Oh…Chaos." The hawk said in awe.

Massive didn't even begin to describe the size of the base. In fact it didn't look too much like a base at all…it looked more like…

"A bomb shelter." Dark said as he scanned the room. "G.U.N. must've built it in case of an invasion."

"But…why didn't they use it?"

"Probably didn't have time to." Nikki answered, there was a light hint of sorrow to her voice. "The Exus attacked all of their bases at once…leaving no reinforcements."

The hawk was lost for words for a moment after hearing Nikki's small description of what happened nine years ago. "Damn…I heard it was bad…but…damn." He then looked around. "I mean seriously, this place is huge. A whole town could live down here."

"It certainly would do well for a base of operations, or a safe house." Dark analyzed. "We should look around. See if there's anything we can use."

Nikki came to a curious thought. "Or…we could use the base ourselves."

"Say what now?" Zephyr asked in confusion.

"Think about it. This base is insanely huge and Dark couldn't sense it. And judging by the fact that the door wasn't messed with, no one else knows about this base but us."

"Not to mention it's right in between the three other Freedom Fighter's bases." Dark added. "I think you might be onto something here."

"We should tell the others about this. I'll go back top side and try and get a hold of Tails."

Dark nodded.

Before she left, Nikki stopped just shy of the door and looked back to her comrades. "Oh, Crash."

"Yeah?" The meerkat asked curiously.

The female blue hedgehog gave him a thumbs up. "Good job finding this place." She then quickly rolled under the door and then dashed toward the base exit.

* * *

Author's Note: Sweet, this looks promising. :D

So thanks to Crash, the Freedom Fighters found a new base of operations.

Next time, the young Freedom Fighters find their place as a group in their own right. But will they be able to handle this new responsibility? And Jodi's solution for the anti-mech shows a surprising, yet all too familiar result to Tails. Find out in the next chapter.

Oh, and I moved Marcus' findings to the next chapter as well. Sorry about that. ^^;

For update information, check Profile. :D


	26. Chapter 43: Genesis

Finally, here's Chapter 43!

Sorry this one took so long. I hope to not be delayed that long again on chapter.

Anyway, you guys have waited long enough, so I won't keep you.

Enjoy :D

* * *

_**Chapter 43: Genesis**_

* * *

_**Narrator: None, third person format.**_

"Are you sure you got it?"

The echidna gave the fox a glare. "For the fifth time, yes."

"Okay, okay. Just making sure."

Knuckles really couldn't blame Tails for being cautious. Even Knuckles had to admit that Exus Sleeper, who was now lifelessly draped over his own shoulder, had seriously roughed up the echidna in that fight last night and that was just putting it lightly.

The echidna rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm fine."

He then muttered. "Nikki healed me using a Chaos Drive."

Tails shot him a surprised look. "What? Why didn't you say something before?"

The fox's then gave him a smirk. "Ah I get it, you're embarrassed."

If the echidna wasn't already red, he would probably be blushing. "Am not!"

"Yes you are. It's written all over your face." Tails playfully retorted, trying hard not to burst into laughter in the public of New Albion's main street.

It was times like this when Tails most reminded the echidna of Sonic. The blue blur would often call Knuckles out on certain things like that. He could remember that he would lose his temper and go after the hedgehog, but he had since learned that losing his temper was pointless, he was only feeding the fire. Knuckles knew that Tails didn't intentionally mean to act like Sonic sometimes, the hedgehog did raise the young kit after all and now, even though he has his own personality, that familiar cocky attitude sometimes came out in small amounts. Even though he would never admit it to anyone, he actually liked Tails having those moments, it made him feel like his old friendly rival was still around.

Knuckles huffed and rolled his eyes. "Pfft whatever, let's just hurry and get to Marcus' already."

The echidna glanced around him. "Everyone around here is starting to give us strange looks."

"Well, not everyone. That guy over isn't-no wait never mind." The fox then waved to that said guy, trying to act like there was nothing out of the ordinary. "Hey there, how's it going?"

But the red and rust-colored echidna simply walked into his store and closed the door tightly shut.

"O…kay…" Tails then turned to Knuckles. "Right so let's pick up the pace a bit."

The reason why they didn't just run through New Albion to begin with was to not draw attention from the locals. After what had happened last night with the Exus Sleeper terrorizing the city, the last thing the Freedom Fighters needed was paranoid citizens freaking out. But, realizing that trying to 'blend in' while carrying a mess of metal wasn't working, they decided to bolt the rest of the way to the university, where Professor Marcus was waiting for them.

As soon as they got downstairs, the two Mobians walked over to the door.

"Looks like this is it." Tails stated.

"You mean you've never been here before?" Knuckles asked raising one of his eyebrows.

The fox seemed to mirror the echidna's looked as he answered his question with one of his own. "Why, have you?"

"Great, of all the places for you to get us lost, it's the University…I did not see that coming."

"Ha ha." Tails laughed with sarcasm.

The fox then knocked on the door. "Marcus?"

When no one answered, Tails knocked again. "Marcus, it's Tails. Are you there?"

He waited for a few seconds. "This _is_ the lab right?"

"And, you're talking to a door."

The fox shot Knuckles a look and was about to say something when the door opened.

"Come in!"

Tails then shot Knuckles a smirk, who responded by rolling his eyes. The two then walked inside the lab. They were expecting the professor to be on other side of the door, but no one was there…and from where they were standing, they didn't see anyone in the room either.

"Professor Marcus?" Tails asked a little confused.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming!" A voice answered from a closed door in the far back of the room.

"Ah." Tails then face palmed himself. "Remote controlled door…should've seen that coming."

"Man you are out of it today." Knuckles laughed.

At that moment, the old rust furred echidna came in through the door in the back of the room. "My apologies, I was working on a project downstairs."

"Oh, no problem Marcus." Tails said with a smile. "I was just about to wonder if I found the right room. I hope we didn't interrupt something important."

"Oh not at all," the old echidna reassured. "You did me a favor actually."

Knuckles raised one of his eyebrows. "Really, how's that?"

"I've been trying to decipher the characteristics in reversing the polarity in the metal glove to return it to it's normal consistency."

"Ah I see." Tails nodded.

While Knuckles on the other hand, scoffed. "Pfft, I don't, I'm actually sorry I asked."

"He's trying to figure out how to change the glove back to normal." Tails translated.

Hearing this, the red echidna facepalmed himself. "Honestly, why don't you guys just say that to begin with?"

Tails sighed then returned his attention back to Marcus. "So, what did you find out? Were you able to do it?"

Marcus sighed. "No, unfortunately. I was beginning to get frustrated really, I needed a reason to walk away to come back later once my mind's been cleared."

The fox gave an understanding nod. "Glad we could help you out there. But I do hope you find out, that would be great if it worked."

"Pfft, Hell yeah it would." Knuckles agreed.

Remembering what they came there to do, Tails gave Marcus a nervous smile. "Aaannd…now I feel bad for bringing you another weird project."

Marcus perked up, instantly intrigued. "Is that so? I'll be sure to figure out the time to look it over. Where is it?"

Knuckles swung the twisted hunk of metal over his shoulder and placed it on the table with a thud.

The old scientist gave the mess of metal a strange look. "…What is that?"

"That was an Exus Sleeper." Knuckles replied.

"Holy Chaos, what happened to it?" Marcus examined it further. "It looks like it was struck by lightning then tossed into a car crusher."

Tails answered. "That would be Dark's handy work. It was terrorizing the city and also planning to kill Nikki-"

"So he barbequed it." Knuckles interrupted.

"Well…this is certainly going to be difficult." Marcus looked over the metal once again, trying to make sense of what he was looking at. "I don't even know where to start."

Tails gave a light laugh. "Yeah…I had the same problem."

Suddenly, the group was interrupted by Tails' communicator. "huh?"

The fox recognized the different ring tone. "It's Nikki. Sorry Marcus, I gotta take this. Nikki doesn't call me unless it's important."

Marcus nodded. "Certainly."

"Thanks." Tails then answered the communicator. "Hey Nikki, what's up?...uh huh…Right, we'll be right there."

After Tails turned off the communicator, he turned to Knuckles, who was waiting to hear what was going on.

The Master Guardian asked. "What trouble did she get herself into this time?"

"Well, I don't think she's in trouble, but she might've found something." Tails answered.

Knuckles nodded. "Right, let's go then."

As the two looked to Marcus, Tails spoke for them both. "Sorry we gotta take off Marcus."

"Don't worry about it, you go help your daughter. I'll try and…" Marcus looked back at the mangled mess of metal behind him. "…make heads or tails of this mess."

Tails really felt terrible leaving Marcus with all of this. He couldn't help but feel that the old echidna was over-whelmed, heck anyone would be with that many projects. "I promise, I'll be back to help you out as soon as I can."

"Oh no, no, it's fine. I'm sure I can figure it out, now go."

"o…kay then, if you're sure."

The two visitors walked toward the door.

Before walking out, Tails looked over his shoulder. "See you around, Marcus."

"Mhmm, hm." The old scientist mumbled as he began examining the wreck on his table, as if the object was the only other thing besides himself in the world.

As soon as the two Mobians were walking up the stairs to the lobby, Knuckles blurted out. "Okay, is it just me, or is Marcus an ass?"

Tails was a little surprised by Knuckles' statement, but he had to admit, he thought that Marcus did seem a bit off (well, at least more than usual). "Actually…he seems more polite than usual."

Hearing this, Knuckles gave his comrade a shocked look. "What? If that was him being polite, I'd hate to see him on a day when he's pissed."

That look quickly faded and the echidna rolled his eyes as he continued. "I mean seriously, what's his deal?"

Tails sighed. "He's…well…different since the last time I met him. But that was at least ten years ago."

"Have a hard time keeping in touch, do you?" Knuckles asked with a smirk.

"No, he's just one of those types that prefer to be alone. He doesn't enjoy the thought of entertaining guests."

Seeing Knuckles' look, Tails quickly added. "Those are his words, not mine."

Once the two got outside, they picked up the pace as Tails continued. "Anyway, let's just hurry and get the others and find Nikki…She didn't tell me about what she found, but whatever it is…it sounds big."

* * *

Meanwhile back at Charles' Lab, Jodi was working at one of the desk tables in one of the rooms. She had been working all night deciphering the anti-mech that the Sleeper used to attack Gyro, attempting to reverse engineer it to help the Freedom Fighters.

The tired ferret brushed her bangs away from her face and sighed. "Finished."

"Awesome, see? I knew you could do it."

Not expecting someone right behind her, the ferret jumped clean out of her chair. "AHH!"

The one that unintentionally frightened the poor girl caught her before she hit the floor. "Whoa, Jodi. Easy, it's just me."

Jodi was happy to see who it was that caught her. "Gyro? You're out."

The lynx gave her a slightly strange look. "Well, when you put it that way, it sounds like I just broke out of prison or something."

Embarrassed, Jodi blushed. "Sorry."

"Oh, no. I was only joking." The lynx reassured.

"So…you're okay now?" Jodi asked.

"Yep, better than ever." Gyro smiled.

"But, Tails said that you would've been out for at least a month."

"Well…that was before he was able to get a hold of Stealth."

Jodi interrupted. "Wait a minute, so Tails didn't sleep at all?"

"Nope. And it looks like you didn't either."

"Yeah, that's true…I shouldn't be talking." Jodi agreed as she brushed her bangs from her face.

She then asked. "So what did Stealth get that helped you?"

"Oh, just data for a nanite transfusion." The lynx answered.

Jodi was surprised and intrigued to hear this. "Seriously? Who's?"

"My mom's." Gyro explained. "It's kind of like a blood transfusion with Mobians, only its nanite data codes and nanites instead of blood. Anyway, it worked out perfectly and I'm back."

"So wait, Nicole was here then?"

"No, actually Stealth is still here though. He's the one that brought the data over here."

Jodi's gaze met her feet. "Oh, I see."

Gyro realized something. "Oh yeah that's right. You haven't met my parents yet."

The ferret instantly became nervous, blushing as she blurted out, "Oh, no rush, trust me…I'm actually very nervous to meet them."

"Why?" The lynx asked curiously.

Jodi was still nervous as she asked in a worried tone. "What if they don't like me?"

The lynx raised one of his eyebrows and nearly laughed. "Really? You're beautiful, you're smart, and I love you…they're not gonna like you."

"….oh."

"You didn't let me finish…"

The ferret didn't know where Gyro was going with this, but she looked at him curiously as he continued. "They're not gonna _like_ you, they're gonna _love_ you."

Jodi blushed, her sapphire eyes began to sparkle a little. "Really?"

At that moment, the door busted open.

"Lucky! I said knock first you little-"

"Lucky, Su, what's going on?" The lynx asked as he looked to his comrades.

The female echidna spoke first. "Nikki just called-"

"She says it's totally awesome!" Lucky interrupted…as usual.

Lara-Su lightly pushed the bee out of the doorway, as the hyperactive bee had shoved her into the door frame. "Lucky! Come on, knock it off."

"What happened? Is she alright?" Jodi asked worriedly.

"Oh yeah, she's fine." The echidna reassured. "She just found something she wants us to take a look at. Come on, Tails has the X Tornado 2 running and the others are waiting."

"Race you there!" And with that, the crazy bee took off down the hall toward the outside.

"Have at it." The female echidna muttered, rolling her eyes.

She then looked to her two comrades. "So, you guys coming?"

The ferret and the lynx looked at each other.

"Are you feeling okay to go?" Jodi asked.

Gyro answered, "I'm fine if you are."

The ferret nodded and Gyro answered for them both. "Alright, lets roll."

* * *

Back at the base the others found, the group was waiting for the rest of their team to arrive…well, some more impatiently than others.

The blue hedgehog sighed as she paced back and forth. "What's taking them so long?"

Her midnight comrade shook his head back and forth and rolled his eyes. "Do you always have to wear a hole in the floor every time you have to wait five minutes?"

Zephyr busted into laughter, but seeing the hedgehogs look back at him, quickly cleared his throat and turned his gaze toward the ceiling, whistling.

Suddenly, a loud sound made all four of the Mobians shoot a look toward the base entrance.

"WAAAHOOOOO!"

_**Bong!**_

The door vibrated and hummed loudly.

The trio all shared the same unimpressed look.

"Well, three guesses who _that_ was." The hawk said as he raised one of his eyebrows.

Nikki face palmed herself. "Oh Lucky…"

And, sure enough, another voice confirmed the fact. "Lucky really? It's no wonder you're not brain-dead."

Nikki's ears flicked up and was excited when she recognized that voice. "Su?"

The female red echidna peeked her head under the half raised door. "Nikki, hey there."

"Hey, good to see ya, what's up?"

"Oh, you know the usual…" The echidna picked up the bee that had crashed into the hanger door.

"Mostly keeping _this guy_ out of trouble." Su pointed to Lucky on the emphasis of 'this guy'.

"Woo, Partay!" With that, Su let the bee go and he fell to the floor. "Omph!"

"Keeping him _out_ of trouble?"

The group looked to the other voice that had spoken. The familiar teenage crocodile peeked his head under the door. "Keeping him from _causing it_ is more like it."

"Argul." Nikki suddenly looked to him confused. "Wait, what about the others?"

"They're on their way. Tails had to find a safe place to leave the X Tornado 2." Su answered Nikki.

"Great." Nikki said with a smile.

As the rest of the group arrives, they take in the shear enormity of the base's hanger. Tails had brought along Jodi, Gyro, Stealth and Knuckles. Jade and Spectra had also come along with Lara's group.

"Yep, this is one of G.U.N.'s bomb shelters alright." Stealth confirmed, having had worked with the organization in the past. "Certainly looks like the one I remember they were starting to build before all hell broke loose."

Knuckles looked to Dark and Nikki. "Did you make sure the place was empty? For all we know, someone else might still be in one of the other sections."

"Well, judging by this security scan, I'm only seeing us down here." Jodi answered as she looked on the master computer screen.

Nikki gave her sister a smirk. "Couldn't help yourself huh?"

Jodi blushed as she rubbed the back of her head. "Heh, heh…yeah.

The ferret then regained her composure as she continued. "Anyway, it looks as though there are no other life forms or active robots in the base."

"I like how you just said '_active_ robots'." Dark added, causing Crash to give a light shiver.

"We should still take a look around, who knows we might find some more useful things we can use." Gyro proposed.

"I agree." Tails concurred. "We should split into groups and search the base."

He then walked over to Jodi at the master computer. "Think you can pull up a map from here?"

"Yeah, sure." Jodi types on the key board at lightning speed and pulls up a map.

The group's eyes widen as they looked at the screen.

"Holy Chaos." Argul blurted out.

"That is one big map." Jade added.

"So how are we splitting up to search this…" Knuckles paused as he tried to find a word to describe what he was looking at. "…maze of a base."

"Not sure, there's a lot of different walkways to check." Tails said as he began plotting. "I figure we should just stay in touch with each other with our communicators. For some of you that tend to forget, there's a panic button on the communicator as well as a trigger word that we use to make sure there's no trouble."

Knowing that Tails was talking about her, Nikki rolls her eyes. "I know it's there Tails…I just choose not to use it."

Tails shakes his head at Nikki's statement, mostly trying not to laugh. "Alright, so if some of you feel more comfortable exploring groups, that's fine."

"Whoa, that's it?" Argul asked confused. "No protocols or restrictions?"

"Nope." Stealth answered.

"You kids have been on enough missions and are old enough to know what to do. However if you have any questions, we will help you. Other than that, knock yourselves out." Tails added with a smile.

The teenagers all cheered at that response.

* * *

So the Freedom Fighters took separate routes through the base to look it over.

Argul and Spectra went after Lucky after he took off down one of the halls. Lara-Su took another hall with Jade, confident that Argul and Spectra could keep the bee under control (well, at least better than no control at all).

Zephyr, Gale and Crash decided to stay in a group, though Zephyr wasn't too thrilled about taking the meerkat along at first. But after Gale's persuasive argument, simply shrugged and allowed him to tag along.

Tails, Knuckles and Stealth took a separate route as a group, though still listened for the teens on the communicators in case something went wrong. Tails knew that Nikki and the other teens weren't kids anymore, and wanted to give them the chance to see how they do without their assistance, and an abandoned base seemed like the perfect start.

The last four in the group took a moment to figure out how to split the remaining hallways. There were two left. According to the map, one of them had a wide range of rooms and different passages that branched out in different directions, and the other was a simple path, but with many rooms on each side and it split in two about halfway in.

Since he could search the different passage ways quickly by scanning, Dark took the path on the left. The remaining three took the path on the right.

After walking down the path, Nikki, Jodi and Gyro came to the fork they were expecting. Nikki offered to go with Jodi to the right, which Gyro agreed with, being as when it came to base raiding and traps, Nikki had the most experience out of the group. The lynx knew that Nikki would keep Jodi safe and took the path to the left, promising that he would keep an ear open in case something happens.

Knuckles' comment was right on, the base's inner hallways were so mazelike and so complex, the groups were lucky to have the map that Jodi uploaded into each of their communicators.

"Man, can it be any more dusty in here?" Jade muttered annoyed as she kept trying to brush the dust off of her fur.

"Awe what's the matter, Kitty? Afraid of getting dirt in your claws?" Nikki mocked over the communicator.

"Come on you two, lets not start this here." Su interrupted, looking at her catlike comrade behind her. She knew if she didn't stop them from arguing now, they might actually start a fight down there.

"Alright, Alright." Nikki responded.

"So, you guys find anything where you're at? We have nothing but walls and empty lockers over here." Su asked.

"Nope, nothing much here either." The female hedgehog looked around, making sure. "Just walls."

"Odd, according to this, there should be a room nearby." Jodi looked at the map, scratching her head. "Strange that there's nothing in this hallway, it says the room is there, but there's no door."

"Ooo, secret passage my favorite. Maybe there'll be a few security traps." Nikki laughed.

Hearing her 'sister's' comment, the ferret gave a slightly unsure smile. "Only _you_ would think that traps in a base would be fun, Nikki."

Before Nikki could respond back, a shout was heard over the communicator, followed by a loud crash.

"Gah! Haha!"

"Who was that?" Su asked over the communicator. "Nikki, was that you?"

"Uh, no." The hedgehog then asked. "Hey, whoever that was, you alright?"

"Ugh…yeah, I'm good…just tripped over something."

"What? There's nothing there." Zephyr laughed.

Nikki facepalmed herself. _Crash…I shoulda known…_

"You know Crash, when Tails said 'knock yourself out' he didn't mean literally." Dark voiced on the communicator, he was trying to hide it, but he was chuckling in the background.

"Shut up." Crash snapped.

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Guys, really? Are you that bored that you have to pick on Crash?"

There was a pause, then Zephyr answered. "I'll get back to you on that one."

"Chaos on Mobius. So much for proving we're adults here." Argul muttered over the com-link.

"Oh this is nothing new, it happens all the time." Gyro assured over the communicator.

The crocodile rolled his eyes. "Great."

Nikki facepalmed herself. "Guys, I'm not expecting you to get along here. Just try."

"…fine." Dark answered.

"Alright okay, I'll cool it." Zephyr gave in.

"Thanks."

* * *

Tails was listening intently to the conversations on the communicator, with his microphone turned off. He turned to his two comrades. "See, told you they'd work it out."

"You call that working it out? They were almost at each other's throats." Knuckles scoffed.

Stealth raised one of his eyebrows and nearly laughed at Knuckles' comment. "Really? You got along with everyone you ever worked with?"

Knuckles knew what the wild cat was talking about. He remembered how Sonic and himself used to fight all time…literally. "…Touche."

Stealth returned the echidna's confession with an amused smile. He then turned to Tails. "So, if things get out of control, we're not gonna interfere?"

"If something bad happens like the security system triggering or something, but I don't think we'll need to help in the event that happens either. The kids, know what they're doing and they've dealt with a lot of different obstacles on their missions. But they haven't had a lot of time working together as a full group. This is the perfect opportunity for them to work together and handle situations on their own."

"Or for a few them to beat each other up senseless." Knuckles nearly laughed.

"Eh, I think they got this." Stealth apposed with a wave of his hand. "I mean, they work together in their separate groups. They'll figure it out."

"Right, lets just focus on doing our own part for now while still listening in." Tails then looked at Knuckles. "They've already proven to us time and time again that we can trust them in the field."

The fox then stood up and continued down the hall. "It's about time we start."

* * *

Back in the east side of the base, Nikki and Jodi were walking down one of the halls.

The brunette ferret opened one of the doors and peeked inside. "Nope, another empty dorm room."

"Nothing in this one either. This is the tenth door and there's nothing but the same room." She glanced over her shoulder to her 'sister' and gave her a smile. "And I thought whoever decorated our room was bad. Whoever designed this place must've lived in a loony bin."

Jodi laughed a little. "Nikki."

"What seriously, all that's missing a straitjacket coat rack. Have they even heard of the word 'color'? With how white these walls are, I'm gonna go blind in here." Nikki crossed her eyes and made a goofy face toward Jodi.

At that, Jodi busted into laughter. "Nikki…"

Nikki laughed right along with her. Even though searching this place top to bottom wasn't completely exciting, Nikki was happy to be hanging out with her 'sister' again.

As Nikki moved on and opened the next door and peeked inside, Jodi turned off her communicator microphone. She then whispered. "Hey Nikki, can you turn your mic off for a minute…I need to ask you something."

The blue hedgehog complied and then reached up to her ear and turned off her communicator's mic, but left the receiver on so that she could keep one ear open for her other comrades.

She then asked Jodi. "Sure Sis, what is it?"

The ferret then took a deep breath, her eyes meeting the blue hedgehog across from her. "You easily could've searched this whole hallway in less than a minute…and yet, you haven't even dashed off, not even once. Why?"

Nikki shrugged. "Eh, don't feel like it."

Jodi raised one of her eyebrows. "Okay, now that doesn't sound like you at all." She then sighed and looked right at her. "Is the reason you're staying back because of me?"

"What? No- I mean ye- I mean." _Jodi, why do you always throw these tough questions at me?_

It was true, Nikki did stay behind for Jodi, but it wasn't for the reason that Jodi was implying. Although she did feel a sense for worry for her sister's condition, Nikki still saw her as Jodi and she didn't think any less of her now after learning about her heart condition either. But there was a reason why she wanted to stay behind.

"Jodi, this is a new base. I have no idea what's down here and you've never been in a base before. You're my sister, I would never just take off and leave you if I didn't know it was safe."

Jodi crossed her arms and leaned against the door behind her. "Nikki, I appreciate what you're trying to do, believe me. And I know that this mission isn't that dangerous or anything. But I don't want you to risk future missions for my wellbeing. What if someone gets in trouble? Are you going to be able to take off and not worry about leaving me behind?"

"I…" Nikki had opened her mouth to say something, but Jodi really got her here. The blue hedgehog sighed, breaking her gaze from Jodi, she then looked back to her once again. "I would figure something out."

"Are you telling _me_ that, or yourself?"

"…both."

Nikki explained herself further. "Look, the truth is, I can handle a lot on my own, I know that. But I know I can count on my team as well. Every time I needed them, they came through for me…and I know they would do the same for you too. Sure we argue and we fight a lot, but it's a lot like a family in a way. When it comes right down to it, we always figure something out and we're there for each other."

She then reasoned further. "I know you're new to all of this and I know you don't know everyone yet. But trust me, they would never let me down and I know they won't let you down either. And I believe in you too, I know you always have my back and I would do the same in a heartbeat."

Suddenly, there was a light coming from the hall ahead of them, the figures silhouetted behind it.

"Who's there?" Nikki hollered, taking a couple steps toward the light.

"Forgot us already?" Su laughed.

Nikki recognized her and raised one of her eyebrows. "Can't see in the dark, remember?"

Su and her comrade walked toward them. "I can't either."

"Yeah, but you have your night vision seeing eye kitty with you." Nikki grinned.

"Stop calling me that, I'm an Oce-Bat, not a kitten you sorry excuse for a pin cushion."

"You two…" Su warned. _Probably should've taken the __left__ turn back there._

Suddenly they heard Dark laugh. "Ha ha ha, yes!"

The girls look back where his voice was coming from.

Nikki shook her head and face palmed herself. "Oh no."

"What? What is it?" Jodi asked worriedly.

"Really? Do you have to freak out over everything?"

"Jade, knock it off." The female echidna interrupted her, her voice tone as if it was out of habit.

"He found the weapons room." Nikki had an unimpressed expression. This had happened before. "Hey Dark! Don't blow a hole in the wall this time!"

"That happened before I take it?" Jodi asked.

"Yes, yes it did." Nikki confirmed. "Welcome to my world."

"That hedgehog is so destructive," Lara-Su concluded, but then seeing Nikki's look, turns to the blue hedgehog. "Well, so are you, but that's entirely different."

Nikki sighed. "We better go in after him."

The four girls headed in the direction of the weapons room. By the sound of his voice, he wasn't too far off from where they were.

"So, what did the trigger happy hedgehog find this time?" Nikki hollered.

"Oh trust me. You guys have got to check this out. This is big."

The girls entered through the doorway.

"Holy!"

"Whoa!"

The girls looked at the vast range of weapons and guns that seemed to just litter the entire room.

"Yeah, you would never see me fire any of those…ever." Nikki crossed her arms.

"Even in a life or death situation? What if someone was going to shoot you?"

Nikki gave Jade a smirk. "Are you kidding? I would take their gun away before they even got the safety off."

"Yeah, that's a good point. You are faster than a bullet anyway." Jodi concurred.

"And then you would pass the gun to me." Dark gave Nikki the same smirk.

"That depends. If it was a paintball gun, hell no." Nikki nearly chuckled.

"Seriously, you should try it at least once." Dark was examining the gun in his hand.

"Um again, no." She then gave him a look. "Besides, I prefer close combat anyway."

Dark shrugged. "Well, that's fine."

Just then, Zephyr's group came around the corner.

"Hey, we heard you guys and came o…" Once the hawk saw the room full of weapons, his mouth dropped. "…ver…wow."

Jade crossed her arms. "I know right?"

As the group came in and Zephyr and Jade starting talking about the different gun models, Nikki rolled her eyes. That was when something on the colt pistol that Dark was holding caught her eye. "Hey, what's that?"

"Oh here we go." Lara-Su rolled her eyes. Usually when Nikki said that, she would rush in to take a look and something would go wrong in an instant.

Dark raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"There on the barrel, there's something written on it." The female hedgehog took a closer look, the midnight hedgehog next to her also looked at the inscription.

_Maria_

"Huh, must've belonged to a G.U.N. officer named Maria." Dark assumed.

"G.U.N. hired girls?" Before anyone could answer Zephyr's question...

_**Slap!**_

"Ow! What was that for?" The hawk yelled as he turned to the female echidna and the Oce-Bat that both smacked him at the same time.

"Cuz you're an idiot." Jade answered in a harsh, yet matter of fact tone.

Crash said nothing, but blinked in response to how fast both of those girls had reacted to Zephyr's comment and wisely slide a step away from the conflict. _Lesson learned, don't piss girls off._

Gale then offered her own opinion. "It could be a wedding present or something."

"A _killer_ wedding gift." Jade added with a wicked smile.

Lara-Su facepalmed herself at her comrade's comment. "Why do I hang out with you?"

* * *

The groups continued to search through the base for the next hour. Jodi and Nikki had met back up with Gyro and clued him in on what they had found so far.

"So, did you find anything?" The hedgehog asked him.

"Well, I found the mess hall. But there are a few things you guys have to see."

After leading them into the mess hall, he led them to another room in the back. It was a massive kitchen. Stoves and ovens lined two of the walls, meeting at the corner. It was definitely built to fit the needs of many people. On the other side of the large room toward the far corner was a large metal door.

Gyro walked over to it and then pressed in a code on the keypad, he had figured it out using his nanites earlier. He then pulled on the handle. Cold fog came pouring out slowly.

Nikki shot the lynx a look, raising one of her eyebrows. "Is that _just_ the freezer?"

Gyro nodded. "Yep, and that's not all."

He peeked his head inside as he continued. "It's filled to brim with food and water. It's like a warehouse in there."

"Wait, wouldn't the food have gone bad by now? This place has been abandoned for a long time." Jodi pointed out.

"I know, I thought the same thing. But this freezer seems to run on some kind of liquid nitrogen combination based cooling unit. There's another element in there, but I'm not picking it up on the scans. I'm not sure exactly how they did it, but everything in here is perfect."

"Wow, that's awesome." Nikki said as she gave a smile. She then walked over to the massive fridge and peeked inside. It looked there was a whole supermarket inside that one room.

When Jodi came over and took a look, she turned to Gyro. "So, what are we going to do with all of this?"

"Well, there's a few villages that we help out with supplies now and then. I'm sure we can use this to help and not even make a dent. And with this, we'll be able to store more than we were able to before."

"Yeah, this is great." Nikki agreed. "This'll help out a lot."

As Gyro closed the door to the giant fridge, Nikki asked. "So, what was the other thing you found, Gyro?"

"Oh right, you guys are gonna flip when you see this."

The two girls followed the lynx out of the kitchen and passed the mess hall to another hallway.

"Dark, how's that room Jodi asked you to check out? Did you get in yet?" Nikki asked him over the communicator.

"No, not yet. I'm at the closest hallway to it. She's right, there's no way inside."

"You're not gonna try and make a door yourself, are you?" Lara-Su asked over the comlink in a muttered, slightly worried tone.

"No," The midnight hedgehog answered, still scanning around for a secret entrance that he might've missed. "I can't scan what's in there, might not be a good idea to just blow a hole in the wall."

"Okay good." Su breathed with relief.

"You're not seeing any ventilation shafts leading there? The map doesn't pick those up." Jodi asked offering the idea.

The midnight hedgehog scanned above him, his red eyes glowing in the darkness. He then answered her. "No, there's nothing leading in that direction."

"What? Not even a small one?" Nikki had to admit, this was pretty odd.

"Nope, nothing."

"What kind of room doesn't have an air vent?" Argul asked with a confused tone over the communicator.

"Pfft, what room doesn't have a door?" Jade responded.

"It does seem suspicious." Spectra added, pondering for a moment. On all of their missions into abandoned bases, they have never heard of room that had absolutely no way in.

"We'll have to wait on searching that room later. I have a sonar amplifier back at the lab in New Albion. That might pick up something." Gyro offered.

Dark shrugged. "That might work."

Gyro looked at the door ahead of him the hall and then glanced back at Nikki and Jodi. "Ah, here we are."

The lynx opened the door and walked in, followed by Nikki and Jodi. There were two elevators, one that only went up and one that only went down.

"So, which one?" Nikki asked.

"Lets go down first, I'll show you what's upstairs later." Gyro answered.

The group walked over to the elevator and the doors opened. It was actually a decent sized elevator, kind of like the glass cylinder ones at the Station Square mall. The elevator let them off in a locker room. Across from them was a door.

What was inside was really astonishing. The room was massive, it seemed to just go one for miles. The ceiling was high too, very high. Station's Square's tallest buildings would fit inside and still have about ten feet above them.

Nikki whistled. "Wow, I mean just…wow."

"This place is enormous. I wonder what it's intended purpose was…another hanger maybe?"

"This is just one part of it, the next part is upstairs. Follow me." The lynx ran back to the locker room.

Gyro certainly seemed excited about what he was about to show them. The two girls looked at each other and shrugged and then ran after him to catch up. The lynx lead them to the elevator next to the one they came out of, the one that lead upstairs. They took the elevator and after a short while, the doors opened to a control room.

"Whoa. It looks like a recording studio." Nikki looked at all the dials and switches on the massive dash board. "Yeah…not even going to try and figure what that does."

The lynx began working on the controls. "Okay, now take a look through the window on the wall."

The two girls walked over to the window. It was the room that they were in earlier, the room was big enough to fit Station Square in.

After pulling a few switches and turning a few dials, the lynx had his hand on one last switch. "Alright, here we go."

He then flipped the switch and the room that was on other side of window suddenly began to change. Trees began to sprout from the ground and shot up in front of them. Grass began to grow on the metal ground and rocks began to form.

Jodi's eyes widened. "It's a simulator."

"Heh, it's epic, that's what it is." Nikki laughed. She had no idea that something like this was possible. "It looks so real."

"Yeah, still gotta work out a few kinks in it though. The skysimulation doesn't seem to work and I'm sure that's just the start of the problems. It hasn't had a good tune up in a long time. Part of the reason why I wanted you guys to come up here with me instead of staying down there."

Jodi looked back at the lynx. "Gyro, this is amazing."

"I know right? That was my reaction." Gyro laughed.

"So you think you can fix it?" Nikki asked.

"I think so, I might need some help though. It's a pretty big job."

"I'll help you." Jodi offered quickly. "This is definitely something I would love to work on."

"Heh, I figured." Gyro laughed again.

* * *

The groups reunited in the hanger where they started.

After the teens told the others what they have found, Stealth gave an impressed nod. "Well, it sounds like there's a lot here that could help the cause."

"Yes, and the fact that it's almost right between two of our bases of operation certainly make it a great halfway base." Tails added in agreement.

"So, is that what we're gonna do, Tails?" Nikki asked. "Turn this into a Freedom Fighter checkpoint?"

"Well, yes. But, I've been thinking about it for a while, and I think your groups could use this base more that we would."

The teens gave each other a look, the blue hedgehog then looked to the fox, raising one of her eyebrows. "Really?"

Jade leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, thinking that this much freedom was just too good to be true. "Okay, what's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, it's an amazing base." Stealth answered his daughter. "The reason why we think that it's a good idea for you guys to run it is because it's right in the middle of our combined groups' home bases."

"This will make it easier for you guys to run missions together as your own unit." Knuckles added.

Tails then took a few steps forward, addressing the young group. "The fact of the matter is, you're all growing up. You'll be running missions on your own soon. Heh, even some of you have been running missions solo for a long time now. It doesn't mean that we won't be there for you if you need us. Heck we're more than likely to depend on you guys more than ever."

"Pfft, yeah, especially with the damn Sleepers." Argul muttered as he rolled his eyes.

"Exactly." Tails then gave a serious look as he continued. "The Exus Army is getting stronger and more invasive with their tactics. If we're going to stop them, we need groups like you, especially in the areas surrounding this place."

"Well you can count on us to have your back. Trust me." Nikki assured with a wink.

Tails smiled. "I know I can."

The fox then continued. "So, since this will be your base now, I think it's fitting that you should name it, as well as come up with the call names for your separate units while you're all out in the field."

"Ours is Shad Company." Stealth said as he looked to Tails. "I talked it over with my group and they all agreed it fits us perfectly. Plus, saying 'Cat Country Freedom Fighters' over the radio takes too much time as it is."

Stealth didn't have to tell Knuckles or Tails why he had decided to use that call sign. Shad was a nickname that Sonic had used for Shadow, as well as what Stealth had used as well, before learning that Sonic had referred to the midnight hedgehog the same way. Shadow was the original leader of the group before he disappeared and Stealth felt that call sign would honor the memory of their friend.

Not wanting to bring Stealth reasons for it into the open, Knuckles simply nodded. "Fair enough."

"I like it." Tails agreed.

"What is yours called, Tails?" Jodi asked.

Tails pondered for a moment, then answered. "Hmm…We haven't really thought of ours yet."

"Well…you guys were the ones that started the Freedom Fighters in the first place…how about First Company?" Nikki offered.

"That's a great idea, Nikki." Gyro concurred.

"Actually, that's not half bad." Knuckles admitted.

"Alright, I'll talk it over with Cream as well, but I agree." Tails nodded.

"Okay, so we'll let you guys talk about this and figure this out. I gotta check on the X Tornado 2 anyway…" Tails ponders for a second. "Come to think of it…should try and find the hanger entrance while I'm at it."

"Yeah, good idea." Knuckles agreed.

"Yeah, would be nice to know where to park that thing next time." Stealth chuckled.

"Not to mention it's getting pretty late. We might have to stay here for the night. So I'll have to check in."

"Yep, certainly don't want Cream worrying about where we're at." Knuckles teased the fox, giving him a smirk.

"Ha, ha." Tails replied. The trio then made their way to the hanger door. "We'll be back soon."

"Kay, we'll be here."

After Tails, Knuckles and Stealth left the hanger, the group of teenagers settled themselves and started to put their heads together.

"So, what are we gonna call this place?" Lara-Su asked, wanting to hear her comrades' opinions.

"Yeah, we can't just call it the Halfway Base. It's too big of a giveaway." Argul voiced.

"Not to mention it'll give away our allies' positions as well." Spectra added.

"Exactly, we don't want to do that." Gyro agreed. "And they can tap into our communications sometimes, what if they hear something?"

The blue hedgehog was leaning back looking at the ceiling when an idea suddenly came to her. "…Genesis."

Some of the members of the group look to her confused. "Huh?"

Seeing their confused looks, Nikki rolled to her side and answered. "Genesis. It just makes sense. I mean, we are the new generation of Freedom Fighters."

"You are aware that genesis means the beginning, not the next generation, right?" Jade criticized raising an eyebrow.

The blue hedgehog gave her a glare. "I know that, but just humor me."

Nikki then continued. "Look, we may be the sons, daughters, nieces and nephews of the Freedom Fighters before us. But we are the start of something new too. I mean think about it. What we're our call signs before when we all go over our plans?"

Lara-Su answered, counting each one on her fingers. "Usually it's Mobian Freedom Fighters, which is Tails' group. Cat Country Freedom Fighters is Stealth's group. And The New Albion Guard are New Albion's Freedom Fighters."

"Exactly and where do we play in here?" Crash added.

"Good point." Jodi agreed. "All of these groups work together as well. We wouldn't be branching off from them, just working together in our own retrospect."

Zephyr then interrupted. "How many have you guys heard this, 'You kids' …what kind of call sign is that? Might as well have 'easy target' on our foreheads."

Gyro nodded his head in agreement. "True, so true."

"Well, my group is known as Squad Three in New Albion, but you guys are still a part of your Freedom Fighter groups." Lara-Su then continued when she looked to Nikki. "And a large part at that."

"I actually like Genesis. It means a new beginning, but it also has Generation in the name." Jodi reasoned.

"I agree." Argul voiced.

Dark nodded in agreement. He really didn't care what the group was called, whatever it was certainly would be better than 'you kids'.

The female blue hedgehog stood up, looking to her fellow comrades. "Okay, so all for the name Genesis for our new base?"

Everyone raises their hand.

"All opposed?…none?…then it's settled. Guys…welcome to Genesis."

* * *

Even though they had searched through almost every room in the massive base, the group decided to rest in the huge rec room near the hanger. It was one of the few rooms that was…less eerie for the most part. Though most of them wouldn't admit it, the dorm rooms were a little creepy to try and sleep in. The whole place was quiet and creepy in general, but the dorm rooms were the worst. Those dorm rooms felt like sleeping in haunted sick ward more than a safe place to turn in. They could just feel that no one had been in those rooms for years and the dust was overwhelming in those rooms. So they figured they would wait until they fixed those rooms up before settling in those areas.

Everyone was able to turn in and find a place to relax in that rec room. However, through the silence (well except for Lucky's snoring anyway) there came a whisper…

"…_Maria…"_

"Maria?...who's Maria?"

Hearing that familiar whisper, the midnight hedgehog woke up and his gaze was met by two curious emerald eyes looking down at him from the couch.

He gave her a strange look. "Huh, what are you talking about?"

"You just said that name in your sleep." Nikki pointed out, keeping her voice quiet to not wake the others.

Dark shook his head. "No, I don't remember saying that…" He then thought for a moment. "I don't remember dreaming anything either."

"You sure? I mean, I thought you might've remembered something."

The midnight hedgehog shot her a look. "Nikki, you and I both know that even if I did remember something, it's fabricated. It's not real."

Nikki thought about saying something back, but she stopped herself for a moment. She then gave him a sincere look. "Well I don't think that."

She then pointed to the couch below her to emphasize her next point. "You're here, aren't you?"

Dark then gave her a light smirk. "No, _you're_ on the couch, I'm on the floor."

Nikki eyes lowered a little, she then muttered. "Smart aleck."

The midnight hedgehog laughed a little at Nikki's reaction.

"But seriously, I mean it. You're here, right next to me." She then rolled her eyes. "And you're laughing at me."

The female hedgehog then gave him a smile. "That sounds real to me."

The midnight hedgehog gave her a contented smile, he then smirked and raised one of his eyebrows. "Yeah and you're dilearious, shouldn't you be sleeping? You haven't slept in days."

"Ugh, can't sleep. I'm surprised anyone else can with Lucky's snoring." She then raised an eyebrow. "And what about you, you only sleep like once a month or something."

"Well, I don't _need_ to sleep apparently. _You_ on the other hand are cranky when you don't get your beauty sleep."

"What?, I am not cranky."

"Oh yes you are."

"Am not."

"You are right now."

"I so am not, if anyone is grumpy around here, it's either you or Knuckles."

"Oh come on, that's not fair."

Suddenly the two are interrupted.

"Would you two go flirt somewhere else? Some of us are _trying_ to sleep here." Knuckles muttered.

Nikki looked to Dark. "See? What did I tell ya-" She then realized what Knuckles said and then looked over the couch. "Hey, we're not flirting."

Dark stifled a laugh.

* * *

Author's Note: Um, I hate to break it to you Nikki, but that sounded a lot like flirting to me lol.

Sorry there wasn't a whole lot of action in this last chapter to the volume, there should be more in the next volume though.

Next Chapter in Volume 3, we'll find out what Jodi has figured out about the anti-mech. And what is up with Marcus?

Many more challenges await in the next volume of Sonic's Legacy

Check profile for update info :D


End file.
